Commercial, GHG Emissions, Industrial  -  July 1, 2016

Report: 81% of S&P 500 companies published sustainability reports in 2015

Testament to the rise of corporate sustainability as a key focus area within U.S. businesses, a new report found that 81% of S&P 500 Index-listed companies published sustainability or responsibility reports in 2015.  

The number marks a significant increase from 2011, when just under 20% of S&P-listed companies published such reports, according to the Governance and Accountable Institute.  The G&A institute noted in releasing the results of its fifth annual report on the topic that the S&P Index is a widely-followed barometer of the U.S. economy.

The institute wrote: 

This huge body of corporate reporting underscores the importance of setting strategies, measuring and managing [environmental, social and corporate governance] issues in response to growing stakeholder and shareholder expectations — and in many cases, demands for such reporting, including information requests from major customers. 

The group said in 2012, 53%, for the first time a majority, of S&P 500 companies were reporting; by 2013, 72% were reporting; and in 2014, 75% of the S&P 500 were publishing reports.

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