These guidelines can help from the initial bid and planning phase of an event, through event execution and post event or legacy afterwards.   The London Olympics Organising Committee gave an insight into how they incorporated the draft EOSS into the first of their three GRI reports- the planning phase.  

 “Sustainability is an integral consideration in planning and delivering the London 2012 Games,” said Phil Cumming, Corporate Sustainability Manager at London 2012. “Our vision is to use the power of the Games to inspire lasting change. We want to set new standards and create a powerful knowledge legacy for more sustainable event management.  GRI’s Event Organizers Sector Supplement will play a key role in achieving these aims.”

 These guidelines can be used for all types of small and large events, from sporting events such as golf tournaments and rugby, cultural and art exhibitions, rock festivals, film premieres, conferences and meetings.

 Stakeholders that get special attention in the EOSS include attendees, participants, workforce, sponsors and media. Two sector specific categories (Sourcing & Legacy) and 13 new core indicators were developed for the EOSS.

 Access the Event Organizers Sector Supplement here  

• 72% respondents say climate change responsibility rests at board level
• reporting up year on year, now at 33 companies based in Ireland (19 ISEQ , 7 unlisted EU ETS, 7 others, plus an additional 4 MNE’s registered in Ireland)
• 8 companies  (Tesco, Diageo, Endesa Ireland, DCC , Bord na Móna, CRH, Smurfit Kappa, Bewley’s) achieved 75% response rate ( based on quality/completeness of return)
• increase in Scope 1,2 & 3 disclosure
• increase in employee incentives related to climate change
• fuel/energy taxes and regulations disclosed as the main risk followed by carbon tax
• majority use GHG Protocol Standard
• below average specific emission reduction targets disclosed when compared to the Global 500 disclosure report
• increase in reporting on climate change management in reports other than CDP returns such as sustainability, CSR & annual reports
• Irish government promise to publish a review of national policy on climate change this October

73% of the Irish based CDP reporting companies that publically disclosed their response in this  report also report on their sustainability performance using the GRI framework. GRI and CDP collaborate in helping  organisations report on their sustainability performance and have produced a useful linkage document .

WRI stated that…. “scope 3 (value chain) emissions… are considered… the buried treasure of corporate GHG management. It is where the surprises and biggest reduction opportunities are often found. The new standard provides a treasure map for companies to locate opportunities for emission reductions with significant business benefits” both upstream and downstream.  It follows on from the widely used GHG Protocol Scope 1 & 2  guidelines already published.

The Product LC Standard allows organisations to understand the full life cycle emissions of a product from raw materials to manufacturing, use and disposal.

Download the new GHG Protocol Corporate Value Chain (Scope 3) Standard here and the new GHG Protocol Product Life Cycle Standard here with additional tools and guidance. Check out the 3 minute animation video here 

About the GHG Protocol & link to GRI:

Janet Ranganathan, WRI’s (World Resources Institute’s) Vice-president for Science & Research, stated “WRI’s efforts in the late 1990s to create a common framework for tracking corporate environmental performance had led to the launch of the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), and I saw the opportunity for a specific GHG emissions protocol.” (GRI has since expanded to include social and economic aspects of reporting.)

The Greenhouse Gas Protocol (GHG Protocol) is the most widely used international accounting tool to understand, quantify, and manage GHG emissions. It was developed by the WRI and the WBCSD (World Business Council for Sustainable Development).

Over 85 percent of 2487 companies who took part in a 2010 Carbon Disclosure Project used the GHG Protocol along with the UK DEFRA’s Voluntary Reporting Guidelines, the Climate Registry, Mexico’s GHG Program, Brazil’s GHG Protocol Program. ISO 14064-1 is also consistent with this standard.

New Guidelines to build transparency in construction and real estate sector

 

Carbon emissions, management and remediation of contaminated land, and sub-contracted labor issues are some of the sustainability issues that can now be reported by construction and real estate companies, thanks to new guidance published today (22 September 2011) by the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI)

 

During its lifecycle – from design, through construction, occupation and operation and all the way to demolition – a building has many different impacts on the environment and society, from materials use during construction to energy consumption during occupation. The built environment is responsible for more than 40 percent of global energy use and one third of global greenhouse gas emissions – and up to 80 percent of greenhouse gas emissions in our cities and towns. In order to improve the sustainability of the built environment, impacts at all stages of the lifecycle need to be considered.

 

Measuring, monitoring and reporting the sustainability of construction activities and buildings has suffered from a lack of consistency until now. Today GRI, which produces a comprehensive sustainability reporting framework that is widely used around the world, releases its Guidelines tailored for the construction and real estate sector. The tailored guidance aims to make reporting more relevant for the sector.

 

GRI’s Construction and Real Estate Sector Supplement (CRESS) provides guidance for anyone who invests in, develops, constructs, or manages buildings on the principles and indicators to follow to report business strategy and performance. Specific issues covered in the new Supplement include building and materials certification, CO2 emissions, management and remediation of contaminated land and labor health and safety issues.

 

Maaike Fleur, Senior Manager Reporting Framework at the Global Reporting Initiative, said: “Today’s new guidance will help construction and real estate companies be more transparent about the impacts their activities and assets have on the environment, economy and society. The built environment forms the structure in which communities function and is part of the landscape, so making sure companies in the construction and real estate sector have the tools to communicate their impacts is vital if we are to move to a sustainable economy.”

 

The Supplement has been developed according to a multi-stakeholder process – volunteers from construction and real estate companies, labor, non-governmental organizations and academia were brought together in a Working Group to develop the Supplement. The public then commented on the draft in two Public Comment Periods. The Working Group took the consultation feedback into account and made further changes, and the final version is published today.

Source

The following awards were presented:

Outstanding Achievement in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Award                                                                                                    

Microsoft Ireland

Best International CSR Programme Award & Marketplace Award
Abbott Ireland for its skills sharing initiative in the development hospital laboratories in Tanzania and collaboration with Arthritis Ireland in launching ‘Let’s Dance’ a ballroom dancing initiative for people living with arthritis.

Eco-Business Award – Large Indigenous Company
Easydry Ltd for its pioneering development of recyclable and compostable single-use towels, made using eco-friendly processes.

Eco-Business Award – Multinational Company
Marks & Spencer for its commitment to tackling social and environmental issues across every factory, farm, store and vehicle by integrating sustainability into every aspect of how it does business.

European Year of the Volunteer Award
Intel Ireland for its donation of over $1 million over the last 3 years through its Matching Grant Programme aimed at motivating staff to engage in volunteering activities.
 
Best Micro Business Award
The Gift Voucher Shop for its Cycle4haiti challenge, a 225 kilometre cycle from Dublin to Galway over two days to raise funds for the Soul of Haiti Foundation.

Responsible Employer Award – Large Indigenous Company
Ulster Bank for its Work-Out and Continuous Improvement Initiative, offering employees the opportunity to give feedback to the organisation, helping to build a more engaged workforce and a more sustainable business.

Responsible Employer Award – Multinational Company
KPMG for its Project Bright initiative aimed at encouraging staff to become social entrepreneurs by participating in a competition to identify social issues and offer unique solutions to help make a difference to community organisations.

Good Neighbour Award – Large Indigenous Company
Glanbia plc for its unique partnership with Barretstown providing corporate donations, employee fundraising and a cause-related marketing campaign.

Good Neighbour Award – Multinational Company
Aviva for the development of its ‘Street to School Programme’ that supports and encourages children affected by homelessness back into school or training

Most Innovative CSR Project Award
Bord na Móna for the development of The Lough Boora Parklands, an eco-tourism amenity located featuring natural and manmade lakes, an internationally renowned sculpture park and 50 kilometres of walkways.

Source: www.chambers.ie

The largest additions (by free-float market capitalization)  to the DJSI World Index include Medtronic Inc., Schneider Electric S.A. and Societe Generale S.A., with the largest deletions being Coca-Cola Co., Hewlett-Packard Co. and EnCana Corp.  The largest 10 additions and deletions can be accessed here  .  All changes will be in effect when stock markets open on September 19, 2011. 

Launched in 1999, the DJSI are the first global indexes tracking the financial performance of the

leading sustainability-driven companies worldwide. Today, the index family has approximately

USD 8 billion in assets under management in a variety of financial products including mutual

funds, separate accounts, notes and exchange-traded funds (ETFs). With approximately 60

licenses, the DJSI have been linked to financial products in 16 countries, an indication of

investors’ increasing appetite to utilize the index as a means to reflect their sustainability

convictions within their portfolios.

Source

Community
Large Indigenous Company
• Bord na Móna: The Lough Boora Parklands
• BWG Foods (SPAR Ireland): SPAR Charity of the Year
• Cara Pharmacies: Cara & the Community
• Detica NetReveal: Education in the Community
• Dublin Airport Authority: Promoting Excellence in Youth Project
• Dublin Port Company: Sean O’Casey Community Centre, East Wall, Recreational Development Project
• Glanbia plc: Glanbia/Barretstown Partnership
• Ryan’s SuperValu Glanmire: Glanmire Business Network
• Silver Hill Foods: Community Project
• Sun Life Information Services Ireland Ltd.: Sun Life Ireland BRIDGE Community Relations Committee

Multinational Corporation
• Accenture: Building Skills to Succeed with Jobcare
• Aviva: Aviva’s Street to School Programme
• IBM: IBM Silver Surfers
• Intel Ireland: Mini Scientist
• KPMG: Get Cents
• Microsoft: IT for Non-Profits as a Business Enabler
• Telefónica O2 Ireland: Think Big
• Pfizer: A Journey Towards a Healthier Future – The Positive Skills for Living Project 
• Pioneer Investments: Get Involved – Social Club of Dublin Simon Community
• Vodafone: Vodafone Ireland Foundation World of Difference Programme 2010/11

Environment
Large Indigenous Company
• Easydry Ltd.: Easydry Disposable Eco-Towels
• Irish Cement Limited: Investing in Our Future Strategy
• Lagan Cement Limited: Sustainability Strategy

Multinational Corporation
• Abbott Ireland: Zero Waste to Landfill
• Deloitte: Deloitte’s Green Agenda
• Marks & Spencer: Plan A
• Pfizer: Pfizer’s Green Journey
• Staples Ireland: Eco Easy – Staples Soul
• Vodafone: Vodafone Ireland’s Goodbye Paper Bills, Hello Trees

Workplace
Large Indigenous Company
• CRH Ireland: CRH Simon Safety Challenge
• Rezidor Hotel Group: Responsible Business
• Ulster Bank: Re-engaging our People Using Work-Out and Continuous Improvement

Multinational Corporation
• Citi: Citi DisAbility Group
• KPMG: KPMG Project Bright
• Microsoft: Microsoft Ireland Embraces Work Life Balance by Reconciling Work and Family Lives
• Telefónica O2 Ireland: Living by our Business Principles

Marketplace
• Abbott Ireland: Let’s Dance
• Aviva: Health Mate from Aviva
• McDonald’s: Think Access – Think McDonald’s
• Telefónica O2 Ireland: Free Texts from O2 for all Customers Affected by the Volcanic Ash Cloud
• Pfizer: Pfizer’s Dialogue Journey – The Pfizer health Indices and Forums
• The Irish Examiner: Let’s Talk
• Zurich Insurance plc: Electric Car Insurance Product

International
• Abbott Ireland: Tanzania Laboratory Mentorship Programme
• Telefónica O2 Ireland: Expansion of the O2 Ability Awards Globally
• Pfizer: Journeys in Regeneration – The Pfizer Cycle for Chernobyl

Micro Business
• Irish Internet Association: Digitise The Nation
• Maud’s Home Services: Green Cleaning Does Matter
• Peninsula: Peninsula Business Services Work Experience Internship Programme
• The Gift Voucher Shop: Cycle4haiti
• The Property Panel: The Property Panel in Aid of Children in Crisis

European Year of the Volunteer
• Abbott Ireland: Croí an Óir
• Accenture: Accenture Business Class
• Bank of America: Bank of America Community Volunteers
• BT: The BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition Volunteer Programme
• Houghton Mifflin Harcourt: Values Day
• Intel Ireland: Intel Matching Grants Programme
• Microsoft: Internet Safety for Children and Parents throughout the Island of Ireland
• SuperValu: SuperValu TidyTowns

source

The awards will be announced on 15^th September.

 A collective approach to communicating social responsibility is also recommended through networking, possibly via Chambers of Commerce or national or regional SME Associations.

 A copy of the European SME Guide to ISO 26000 can be accessed here.

 Offences under the Act include active and passive bribery, bribery of a foreign public official and failing to prevent bribery.  Hospitality or promotional expenditure which is proportionate and reasonable is permitted. The Act does not cover fraud, theft, books and record offences, Companies Act offences, money laundering offences or competition law.

Bribery prevention is emphasised greatly in this Act whereby organisations should have ‘adequate procedures’ in place based on the bribery risks proportionate to their operations.  To avoid corporate liability for bribery, companies must make sure that they have strong, up-to-date and effective anti-bribery policies and systems.  Organisations should consider the following six principles in deciding their bribery policies and systems;

1 Proportionality

2 Top Level Commitment

3 Risk Assessment

4 Due Diligence

5 Communication including training  

6 Monitoring and Review

The Ministry of Justice has produced Guidance on this Act which also includes the requirements for organisations who exist as joint ventures, subsidiaries and partnerships, and guidelines on suppliers and contractual relationships, giving some case examples and a brief background on types of risk.

A full copy of the Bribery Act 2010 and its Explanatory Notes can be accessed here   with Guidance from Ministry of Justice here 

GRI Guidelines and Bribery Prevention

The G3.1 GRI Guidelines and sector supplements include indicators on bribery and corruption. For example the Society Indicators include the % and total number of business units analysed for corruption risks including bribery and the % of employees trained in organisational anti-corruption policies and procedures, which links with the 3^rd & 5^th principles of the UK Bribery Act Guidelines.  The GRI indicator on actions taken in response to incidents of corruption, could be used in part to report implementation identified as important in the Bribery Act.  

The GRI recommended standard disclosures on management approach can assist an organisation’s risk assessment, due diligence and determination of proportionality that the Bribery Act Guidelines refer to. 

The 10^th principle of the UN Global Compact (GC) states that “businesses should work against corruption in all its forms, including extortion and bribery.”  The UN GC supports the use of GRI’s guidelines for organisational reporting on adherence to this principle.

ISO 26000 on Social Responsibility refers to the importance of eradicating bribery and putting in preventative measures through risk assessment, training, top management commitment, maintenance of transparent relations with government officials and whistle blowing.

GRI refer also to the OECD Convention on Combating Bribery and have over the years formed strategic alliances with UN GC, OECD and ISO with an aim to sharing and disseminating best practice for responsible businesses.