2Sustain

In what’s being billed as the most comprehensive survey of corporate responsibility (CR) reporting ever published, KPMG found that CR reporting has reached an all-time high –but unfortunately, the reports lack rigor.

KPMG’s International Survey of Corporate Responsibility Reporting 2011 reviewed trends of each of the Global Fortune 250 (G250), as well as 3,400 companies worldwide, representing the national leaders in 34 countries and 15 industry sectors.

The research showed that:

• Nearly all (95 percent) of the G250 companies report their corporate responsibility activity.
• More than half (64 percent) of the largest 100 companies (N100) in each country report –that’s up 11 percent since 2008, with developing nations showing fast uptake.

KPMG also compared CR reporting activity across different countries and found some significant differences: (more…)

In April 2006, Toyota began working to meet the guidelines of its second consolidated Environmental Action Plan (EAP), an aggressive five-year roadmap for improving and enhancing sustainability efforts across the company’s North America operations.

Last week, Toyota reported on its progress and affirmed its commitment to sustainability with the release of its 2011 North America Environmental Report.

Among the energy consumption, recycling and resource management achievements outlined in the 2011 report: (more…)

The corporate sustainability agency Two Tomorrows has released its Tomorrow’s Value Rating 2011, an analysis of the sustainability practices of 92 companies widely recognized as sustainability leaders.

These companies were selected to be in the Tomorrow’s Value Rating for 2011 based on their inclusion in three or more leading sustainability rankings. Companies in the 2011 Fortune Global 100 and listed in two of these rankings were also included.

Which companies top the list?

The highest rating, Aaa, went to: Campbell’s, Danone, General Electric, Glaxosmithkline, HP, Intel, Nestlé, Nike, Panasonic, Siemens, and Unilever.

“None of our leading companies are held back by fundamental questions about their sustainability. Where there are concerns, we can see that they have mapped out a clear path to transitioning their business into a different model,” Mark Line, executive chairman of Two Tomorrows Group, said. “The leaders are starting to go one step further than the rest of the pack, such that their machinery for delivering sustainability is becoming part of the way they do business. Their staff and management get it and they want it. These companies tend to exhibit huge brand strength – and they have wedded their sustainability approach to all of those things that made their brand strong in the first place.”

See a detailed list of results and key findings here.

Two Tomorrows’ research also revealed five emerging trends in corporate sustainability. The data shows that sustainability leaders: (more…)

Last month, Dunkin’ Brands Group, Inc., the parent company of Dunkin’ Donuts and Baskin-Robbins, released Serving Responsibly, the company’s first CSR report. It offers a detailed overview of Dunkin’ Brands’ current CSR initiatives as well as key areas of focus for the future, such as nutrition, sourcing and packaging.

Serving Responsibly outlines Dunkin’ Brands’ ongoing commitment to grow its business in a sustainable manner, while taking into consideration the needs of guests, employees, franchisees, local communities and the environment.

Among the highlights, the report states that Dunkin’ Donuts was the first national brand to sell espresso beverages made exclusively with 100 percent Fair Trade Certified™ coffee, helping farmers and their families earn a better income and invest in the quality of their harvest. By the end of 2010, Dunkin Brands purchased nearly 26 million pounds of Fair Trade Certified^TM coffee and delivered approximately $1.9 million in premiums back to farming communities.

In addition, back in 2008, Dunkin’ Brands opened its first “green” restaurant, in St. Petersburg, Florida, which achieved the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver certification in 2010. This restaurant also boasts the following eco-friendly features: (more…)

Late last month, UPS released the latest edition of its annual sustainability report, and once again, the company has managed to reduce the amount of fuel it’s using to deliver each package in the United States.

Interestingly, the company’s US package volume rose 1.8 percent in 2010 compared to 2009, and yet UPS reduced the amount of fuel consumed per package by 3.3 percent. The company attributed the improvement to:

• deploying the right vehicle on the right routes,
• using technology to minimize the miles driven and
• focusing on how behavior can affect fuel use.

All told, technology has enabled UPS to avoid driving more than 63.5 million miles in 2010 with an associated emissions avoidance of 68,000 metric tonnes. As remarkable as it sounds, UPS estimates that distance is the equivalent of 251,987 trips to the International Space Station.

How, exactly, has the company used technology to reduce fuel consumption? According to a press release, UPS has specifically improved: (more…)