A company practicing sustainable operation aims to “meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet theirs” as defined by the Brundtland Commission’s Report, Our Common Future. The main focus is on reducing its consumption of finite resources, or finding alternative resources with lower environmental consequences.
The framework for business sustainability that is largely used today was first described in the 1970s in the publication The Limits To Growth, which defined three pillars of corporate sustainability: The economic, environmental, and social pillars. The Economy Pillar postulates that businesses must meet their financial obligations to shareholders, and be economically viable. The Environment Pillar postulates that businesses must support, protect and not damage the environment, and the Society Pillar discusses managing relationships between stakeholders and support communities.
Another framework, especially relevant for reporting purposes, is environmental, social, and governance (ESG). ESG reporting, that has become a part of annual corporate reporting, gives a summary of a business’s impact across these three areas for investors. One of the most commonly used ESG reporting frameworks is the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI).
Many companies integrate their ESG reporting with the contribution towards achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
AEE works with corporate clients on the full lifecycle of corporate sustainability and ESG, including:
- Corporate sustainability and carbon footprint strategy development
- Corporate sustainability policies development and integration
- Implementation of sustainability initiatives and assets optimization
- ESG/Sustainability/Carbon reporting
