Summary of Course Integrated Measurement and Reporting

Integrated measurement and
reporting

,Lecture 1

Sustainability = living within the limits of the earth, known as the desired state

- This desired state can only be achieved through sustainable development, the process to get
to the desired state
- United Nations (UN) made efforts in conceptualizing sustainable development by setting
goals
o SDG goals

SDG goals = sustainability development goals, initiated in 2015

- Purpose: achieve the desired state - sustainability
- Objective is to achieve all the goals by 2030
- To necessitate the implementation of SDG goals, each goal has a subset of targets
- SGD goals are the starting point for ESG frameworks for companies

Historical development

- Most important push = 1987
o World Commission for Environment and Development (WCED) was the first to launch
sustainable development onto global political and business agenda

o First definition: ‘development that meets the needs of the present without
compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs’

- 1997 = reaction from society
o Kyoto agreement for global warming
o John Elkington’s Triple Bottom Line
 Most famous ESG framework with the aim to transfer financial accounting-
focused business systems towards sustainable business
 Three dimensions = ecological, social, economic
- 2000 = GRI Guidelines launched
o Global Reporting Initiative
- 2015 = Paris Climate Agreement + UN launches SDG goals



Sustainability frameworks

1) Triple Bottom Line model
a. Weak sustainability = three dimensions party intersect with each other
i.
b. Strong sustainability = three dimensions fully in connection with each other
i. Example – solar energy, renewable energy
c. Aim is to take three dimensions into consideration while developing business
strategies and operations
2) Doughnut Economics
a. Incorporation of social threshold and ecological boundaries

, b. Inner boundary
i. Social goals that must be reached harmoniously
c. Outer boundary
i. Ecological ceiling representing the limits to grow to avoid an overshoot
1. Overshoot = exceeding regenerative capacity of planet



Role of accounting

- Conventional accounting = process of collecting, analysing, and communicating financial
information on performance of an entity for financial decision-making
o Accountability on financial resources
- NEED to adapt and evolve
o Impact of company on environment, society, economic (resources) is evident

Sustainability accounting in different organizations

- Sustainability reporting
o Globally = voluntary
o UN = mandatory
- Wide variety of organizations makes sustainability reporting challenging
o One framework may not apply for all different organizations
- Some organizations exert more negative/positive impact than others

1) Private sector organisations
a. Corporations
i. Dominant form of business entity
ii. Significant impacts + influences
b. Small and medium sized entities (SMEs)
i. Smaller companies, but do have great carbon impact
ii. Often lack resources to conduct sustainable actions properly
c. Partnerships + co-operatives
i. Multiple owners
ii. Primary goal is to serve interest of owners
1. Economic profit not priority
iii. Reporting on voluntary basis
2) Other emerging for-profit organisations
a. Dual mission – financial success + positive social/environmental impact
i. Patagonia
3) Public sector organisations
a. Institutions owned or controlled by government
b. Country level reporting on SDGs
i. Lack of data is criticality
ii. Lack of public sector specific accounting frameworks
4) Non-profit sector (third sector)
a. Organisations not within public/private sector
i. Example = NGOs