ABSTRACT
This chapter summarises the results of the 1997 Third International Benchmark Survey. The objectives of the 1997 Benchmark Survey were to: update 1994 and 1996 findings by ranking 100 of the corporate environmental reports (CERs) against the SustainAbility/UNEP 50 reporting criteria and revised five-stage model; begin the regional and sectoral analysis of such reports; and outline what will be expected from future CERs. The survey was restricted to companies that produce stand-alone, printed environmental reports. It was decided to include only one CER from each company, thus excluding some of the reports benchmarked in the 1996 survey. The highest average CER scores were for the Americas, while the next highest were for Europe. Given the growing interest in verification, any company thinking of producing non-verified CERs really ought to think again. A biotechnology-based company fails to tackle the real genetic engineering issues, or an auto or oil industry CER chooses to ignore the global warming agenda.
