Are you unhappy with some corporate sustainability reports that you have seen lately? Don’t be quick to put the blame on companies. Customers, suppliers, and stakeholders have a role in making sure that the companies with which they do business are adopting fair labor practices and showing transparency in their operations—while mitigating their effects on the planet.
The Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) is currently inviting stakeholders to give feedback on its Construction and Real Estate Sector Supplement (CRESS), which closes in one week on June 30.
The survey can be accessed here.
CRESS is one of many
GRI sector supplements that take into account the unique challenges that various industries face. Currently GRI’s report database contains about 70 reports from the construction and real estate sector, or about 5% of the entire collection. This particular supplement address issues including:
- Building and materials certification
- Management and remediation of contaminated land
- Labor, health, and safety issues
- Supply chain disclosure
- CO2 emissions and water use resulting from construction projects and building use
As the world’s population grows to what is projected to be 9 billion by mid-century, issues involving land use and the earth’s diminishing resources are crucial since all countries have to smart about the ways in which land is developed. But the reason why anyone vested in the construction or real estate industries should pay attention to the GRI guidelines is that I am convinced that
GRI guidelines could become the new LEED. Why?
LEED criticism festers for many reasons--but GRI maintains its integrity by staying objective: its funding is separate from the certification process.
To learn more about the GRI guidelines and its advocacy of streamlined sustainability reporting—and
integrated reporting, I suggest signing up for its
newsletter.
