Springtime at CRI means publication time. After months of research, drafting, designing and review, we’re pushing client reports live seemingly on a weekly basis. In contrast to the volatility of this time last year, the sustainability reporting space is relatively calm and stable. A few observations on this reporting cycle:

• Sustainability reporting is alive and well. Even as political polarization and ESG pushback persist, companies continue to recognize the value that these reports play in meeting investors’ expectations for non-financial disclosure; complying with or preparing for mandatory disclosure requirements; and serving as a reputational enhancement for a range of stakeholders.

• Questions about what to disclose and how to say it were largely settled in last year’s reporting cycle. Companies have adapted to the realities of last year’s Executive Orders and other legislative concerns. The same important work continues, but with new ways to articulate initiatives and progress being made.

• Alignment between sustainability and business strategies continues to grow closer. In finding new ways to communicate, reports are connecting the dots between sustainability progress and business value more than ever. We expect this trend to strengthen in the years ahead and possibly even drive how reporting evolves. Download our white paper on the future of ESG reporting.

• We’re also starting to see some companies evolve their reporting strategies to prepare for CSRD compliance in the EU. Several clients debuted reporting suites this year that included strategic progress reports complemented by data downloads and sustainability statements as a precursor to eventual CSRD filings. CRI hosted a recent webinar on this topic — watch the full recording on CSRD reporting strategies.

How has your reporting experience been this year? Do you agree with our observations? Are there still challenges that you are struggling to solve? Let us hear from you. We love to hash through answers to these and other questions with fellow reporters.

Where’s the most valuable real estate in a sustainability report?

Recycling Revisited

Recycling bins are a fixture of virtually every corporate office today: aluminum cans, office paper, cardboard, batteries and the like. We were reminded, however, during a recent speaking engagement at the Recycling Materials Association’s annual conference, ReMA26, that industrial-scale recycling is critical to today’s infrastructure. Consider that recycled materials make up over two-thirds of a car, three-quarters of a bridge, over half of a cardboard box — and that nearly 75% of all aluminum ever produced is still in use today. We enjoyed walking the trade show floor to see the big rigs and high tech that make this level of recycling possible, as well as sharing insights about the state of sustainability with practitioners from across the industry. Check out a recap of our session.

California Climate Disclosure Regs

We’ve recently updated our guidance around compliance with California’s SB 253 and SB 261. Download a copy.

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