Ernst & Young and Greenbiz Group Survey Released: 2013 Six Growing Trends in Corporate Sustainability

Recently, Ernst & Young "a global leader in assurance, tax, transactions and advisory services" and Greenbiz Group, an information service provider that assits companies to "integrate environmental responsibility into their operations" released a collaborative survey titled, 2013 Six Growing Trends in Corporate Sustainability (2013). According to the press release for 36-page document available here:

Despite the decreasing likelihood of regulation to address climate change — at least in the United States — greenhouse gas reporting and reduction efforts remain strong, and interest in water usage, efficiency and stewardship is on the rise.

Also rising is stakeholder interest in the sustainable sourcing and availability of raw materials intrinsic to a company’s ability to operate. And sustainability-focused surveys and questionnaires from customers, NGOs, investor groups, analysts, media organizations and others continue to grow in importance.

These trends suggest that sustainability efforts are now well-integrated into the corporate fabric of a growing number of large and midsized companies.
But the effectiveness of such efforts may be limited by internal systems that don’t allow companies to effectively measure, track and optimize their sustainability impacts, or to understand and manage the risks of insufficient action. To do so will require new levels of engagement by the C-suite, and more sophisticated methods of sustainability reporting and assurance.