<
https://theconversation.com/invisible-consultants-help-companies-write-sustainability-reports-heres-why-thats-a-problem-228092>
"Around the world, more and more companies are publishing sustainability
reports – public scorecards detailing their impacts on society and the
environment.
Environmental, social and governance (ESG) reports outline the positive and
negative effects of a company’s activities, and the steps they’re taking in
response.
Companies publish these reports as their own documents. But often, externally
hired consultants play an invisible role in gathering data and framing it in a
positive narrative the public will find easy to digest.
And getting these reports independently evaluated – “external assurance” – is
still not required by many regulators around the world. As a result, they can
allow companies to “greenwash”.
This could be by only disclosing information that makes a company look
“sustainable” to the public. Or by only reporting on categories that paint them
in a good light, and excluding the less flattering ones.
The problems inherent in this process create a blind spot for society. We
urgently need to shine a light on consultants’ unseen involvement in
sustainability reporting."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
