The consultancy, SustainAbility, has published its fourth international benchmark of corporate responsibility reporting. Entitled Tomorrow’s Value, the survey asks the question: How far has the value light bulb switched on in corporate brains and boardrooms? Key findings of the survey include:

• Focus on Opportunities. Leading companies are shifting the focus of their sustainability strategy towards a more progressive and entrepreneurial approach for strategic innovation and market building. However, these leaders are still in the minority — most companies still take a risk-focused approach.
• Investor Interest. Sustainability reports are a key component of the portfolio of information available to socially responsible investment funds and, increasingly, to mainstream investors. Financial markets welcome sustainability disclosures and greater corporate transparency.
• Integration of Sustainability into Strategy. Increasingly companies are integrating sustainability-related factors into core decision-making. Materiality is the gauge that determines which risks and opportunities are factors to be considered.
• Weak Link to Public Policy Initiatives. Less than half of corporate reporters sufficiently discuss and connect their sustainability initiatives to their lobbying activities.
• Link to Bigger Picture. Leading companies are connecting their individual goals and activities to broader macro-frameworks, such as the UN’s Millenium Development Goals, to measure their individual contributions.

A survey by The Conference Board finds that companies find potential rewards in corporate citizenship and sustainability but acknowledge they lack an active strategy to develop new business opportunities in connection with corporate responsibility. The survey encompassed 198 medium to large multinational companies. Findings include:

• A mixed perspective exists regarding corporate citizenship and sustainability; 90% of companies say these issues are sources of both business opportunity and business risk.
• Two-thirds say corporate citizenship and sustainability are of growing importance for their businesses.
• Sixty-two percent (62%) have formal programs to manage their corporate citizenship and sustainability practice, however, the majority of companies are not actively developing related business products.
• Key drivers of corporate citizenship programs that were cited as extremely or very important were — Enhancing corporate reputation and brand (92%); Recruiting and retaining talent (78%); Reducing risk (64%).
• External stakeholders cited as having the most influence (i.e., extremely or very important) on corporate citizenship and sustainability issues were local communities (70%), customers/consumers (65%), shareholders (52%), governments (51%), financial institutions and investors (43%). Somewhat surprisingly, non-governmental units were highly ranked in importance by only 37% and the media by 27%.
• A majority of those surveyed (71%) issue public reports on citizenship and sustainability with 52% doing so in reports separate from their financial reports.