Better sustainability disclosures require clear reporting boundaries
Sustainability reporting needs to be internally consistent, theoretically sound and a useful source of data for decision-making. We’re not there yet.

Image: Momojung/Shutterstock
Following news of Oxford Brookes University’s recent analysis and the demonstrable shortcomings of FTSE 100 organisations’ sustainability reporting, it’s time to stand back and contemplate what the purpose of this reporting actually is and how best to achieve it.
In the current climate of global stakeholder concern over growing environmental degradation, social inequality and high-profile corporate misdemeanours, there is an increased focus, particularly among the millennial generation, on corporate behaviour.
Stakeholders, including investors, regulators, consumers, employees and civil society need to understand both financial and non-financial data in order to assess corporate performance.
Pressure from shareholders for a