Sustainability Report Assurance

“The current global financial and economic crisis has sparked renewed interest in corporate governance and disclosure requirements including independent verification and assurance of sustainability reports”.
Paul Cheal, Division Manager, NCS International

“Both the actuality and the perception of the quality and reliability of sustainability disclosures are dependent on external verification conducted under a robust assurance framework.” 
United Nations Environment Programme, Global Reporting Initiative, KPMG Advisory N.V., Unit for Corporate Governance in Africa, 2010

Sustainability – It all part of Corporate Governance

The term 'sustainability reporting' is used to describe a broad range of online and printed publications in which companies report on their economic, environmental and social performance.  It is also known as triple bottom line reporting.  There is growing stakeholder and governance pressure for independent assurance of the content of these reports.
 
Engaging a 3rd party firm such as NCS International to conduct independent assurance of reports against international standards, such as the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), is becoming a standard way of doing business for reputable companies.  Research by KPMG in 2008 indicated that 79% of global 250 companies disclose ESG data and 77% of those use GRI to do so.  A proactive approach to sustainability is now seen as a critical component of your organisation’s Licence to Operate.

The Process

When undertaking the verification process, NCS International will use industry sector consultants with sustainability expertise and partner with you in an open and interactive approach.  We use only experienced auditing and sustainability professionals, who as part of the assurance process will identify strengths, weaknesses and improvement opportunities in your sustainability performance and data integrity.

“Good management of environmental, social and governance performance, together with reputation, stakeholder relationships and other intangibles, is fundamentally linked to long-term shareholder value.” 
Westpac 2006 Stakeholder Impact Report, from the Chairman and CEO

To find out how NCS International can help your business with its Sustainability Reporting needs or for more information on Sustainability Report Assurance, contacts us today by filling out the below form. Please note that any fields marked with an '*' require a response.