ABSTRACT
This chapter argues the importance of sustainability reporting in terms of the enterprises and their stakeholders and analyses concepts of sustainability, sustainable development and corporate sustainability. It deals with the evolution of sustainability reporting, its contributions and the types of sustainability reports. The concept of sustainable development, which creates a balance between economy, society and environment, provides a conceptual framework as guidance for global, national, regional and corporate level applications. Evaluating economic, social and environmental sustainability as one unit and using the resources efficiently is called the triple bottom line. Enterprises can meet their goals of corporate sustainability if they keep their performances high in all dimensions. Corporate sustainability reporting started in the late 1980s in the United States, with external reports addressing environmental issues. There are two approaches to preparing sustainability reports: voluntary reporting approach, and mandatory reporting. Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) has developed a Sustainability Reporting Framework, which is widely used around the globe.
