ABSTRACT
The practice of sustainability accounting has evolved on a voluntary basis because of a need for information, pressure for more transparent reporting, and a need for companies to explain their business models in more detail. Disclosure frameworks evolved first as industry initiatives to deflect criticism, and later as independent initiatives as pressure groups saw through the often-superficial industry initiatives and demanded broader accountability. The Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) standards are now the most widely used of these independent frameworks. The GRI standards require a process of stakeholder identification, followed by a stakeholder engagement process to identify material social and environmental matters that should be covered in disclosure. Integrated reporting can be seen as the latest development in the reporting of social and environmental matters. A framework and a brief overview of the rest of the book is provided.
