South African Corporate Environmental Reporting

This chapter presents the evidence that South African environmental reporting is increasing, both in annual reports and in stand-alone reports. According to Tsotsi, Eskom's Corporate Environmental Affairs Manager at the time, stakeholder pressure and the introduction of environmental standards are the strongest reasons for environmental reporting in South Africa. The Eskom experience was that the need for reporting dictated the amendment of existing measurement systems and in some cases the implementation of new ones. South African corporate environmental reporting is on the increase, but lags behind the level of disclosure found in developed countries. Many influential organisations and researchers have made recommendations regarding the content of environmental disclosures. Some of the reasons relate to stakeholder requirements and, therefore, the question of what should be reported is answered from the perspective of stakeholders as well as from the perspective of organisations that have produced standards or recommendations.