The best sustainability reports: Winning features

SUSTAINABILITY reporting was once a new and innovative way for listed companies to showcase their environmental commitment and social responsibility. Today, it has become mainstream, with most large companies releasing sustainability reports every year. However, sustainability reporting has also become increasingly complex and dense, making it difficult for the average person to understand what companies are actually doing in their sustainability efforts.

What makes a sustainability report that is worth reading? Recently we had the opportunity to delve into the sustainability reports of listed companies in Singapore as part of a judging panel for the Best Annual Report Award (Best ARA).

To give some context: The Singapore Corporate Awards (SCA), jointly organised by Institute of Singapore Chartered Accountants (ISCA), Singapore Institute of Directors (SID) and The Business Times (BT), was launched in 2005 as the umbrella awards for exemplary corporate governance practices for listed entities in Singapore.