Assurance of sustainability reports is meant to tell us that the reporting has been done properly. Shouldn’t that question be answered from the perspective of the people most affected by an organisation’s actions?
Economic theory depends on accounting – yet it ignores the role of accounting in distributing value. Why does that matter? Because it limits the potential contribution of economics in resolving today's social and environmental crises.
Most companies’ sustainability reports still fail to capture what matters to the people who actually experience the impacts. Assurance can help us put them and their wellbeing high up on the agenda – and push us to keep improving.
Company directors’ reliance on international accounting standards means sustainability issues are currently reported separately, if at all. But there are steps they can take to better meet their legal responsibilities, says our columnist.
The financial accounting system we use today is hurtling towards irrelevance, undermined by the very inequality to which it has contributed. It's time to change how profit is calculated – before it's too late.
Our financial accounting systems were designed by white men, for white men – with disastrous implications for people and planet. Could a gender lens help us reshape an accounting system built on empathy and that works for the majority?
We need ‘warrior accountants’ who must do more than help “standardise ESG”, warns Jeremy Nicholls. The risks of depending on declining environmental resources or below-standard working conditions must also be “managed and reported".
From game-changing SDG standards to better integration with environmental value, the CEO of Social Value UK and Social Value International summarises some of the year's most important milestones in social impact management.
Covid-19 has sparked renewed interest among business leaders to better understand their true impact on communities and the environment. But meaningful measurement remains elusive – and experts say standardisation is urgent.
