10 ways to liberate the sustainability report

Yesterday saw the publication of the SMI-Wizness Social Media Sustainability Index, a must-read for anyone who wants to know who are the corporate movers and shakers of the social media cypermap and what they are doing and why.  According to the report, authored by the social-media master Matthew Yeomans, "a new landscape of social media sustainability has emerged. Today, at least 250 major corporates are engaged in some form of social media sustainability comms and more than 100 have a blog, YouTube, Facebook or Twitter channel dedicated to talking about sustainability."

The report ranks the social media practices of 100 top rated sustainable companies (selected from existing listings and green rankings) provided they have a blog, Facebook page, Twitter account or YouTube channel..  If you are serious about socmed, then at least one of these options is a must-have.

Companies today are using social media "to not just communicate their sustainability stance but also to involve the public in building a better world". The main ways in which they do this include hiring experienced filmmakers, writers and reporters to tell a complicated story well, crowdsourcing, crowdfunding, creating alliances with NGOs, charities and conservation watchdogs to support common goals and raise awareness, leveraging the public through campaigns and contests, and more. Twitter is the main platform used by corporates, followed by Facebook, YouTube and a Company blog. See the full report to see who does what best. But here's a hint. The top ten in social media.

The methodology of calculating the ranking for the 100 companies in the sample is based on a score of a maximum 100 points which include the following parameters:

• Useful communication: possible 20 points
• Commitment to community: possible 20 points
• Transparency (allowing comments and replying) - 10 points
• Communicating actions not beliefs - possible 10 points
• Social media shareable CR/Sustainability Report - possible 10 points
• Regular updates of social media communication - possible 10 points
• Creative storytelling - possible 20 points

GE came out as the overall best with a score of 93 points, retaining its first place from last year because of consistent leverage of social media channels to advance the Ecomagination and Healthimagination agendas, and also because of its "App". There are actually several companies who are using Apps to make their reports accessible to a wider audience, as I mentioned in my CSRwire.com article earlier this month. Apps will become commonplace for Sustainability Reports, I have no doubt. Pretty soon we will need an App to track the Sustainability Report Apps. VF corporation made it into 7th place with 84 points (from nowhere last year) , mainly because of its Timberland acquisition. The Top Ten SocMed Swingers' best practices are profiled in the report which makes for fascinating reading and offers inspiration for companies which haven't yet staked their claim.

One thing that was of particular interest to reporting geeks like me was Matthew Yeoman's analysis entitled "10 ways to liberate the sustainability report". This year, 36% of the 100 companies reviewed in the index have used social media to "liberate their reports from the dungeons of disinterest" (wow, a little harsh, maybe? Remind me to take a look in my local dungeon for the 64% which have apparently stayed there). Anyway, 36% is more more than double the number of companies which were reported to be dungeon-free  last year. The ones who are picked out for commendation are:

• GE : for their iTunes App
• Alstom : with a shareable microsite
• Timberland: for use of social channels
• SAP: for an interactive materiality matrix
• North Face: for use of video
• Alcatel Lucent: for publishing their report on Scribd
• Danisco: for publishing on Slideshare
• UPS and McDonald's: for use of infographics
• Ford: for a sharable digital map

Finally, the report also lists the top 100 Sustainability Twitterers (among which I am proud to be counted) and I will now happily call myself a member of the Wizness Green Twitterati. 22 of the 100 are company twitter handles and 20 are NGO's. A good a #CSR #FF list as ever there was.

By now it is clear that Sustainability without Social Media is like Ice Cream without a Spoon. It's all in the delivery. The SMI-Wizness Social Media Sustainability Index will help you think about what companies are doing today to leverage their sustainability platforms through all the social media possibilities that are available. The author even offers a checklist to help companies get thinking about telling their social stories. The only thing that's missing is what flavor ice-cream the corporate bloggers prefer.

elaine cohen, CSR consultant, Sustainability Reporter, HR Professional, Ice Cream Addict. Author of CSR for HR: A necessary partnership for advancing responsible business practices Contact me via www.twitter.com/elainecohen  on Twitter or via my business website www.b-yond.biz/en  (BeyondBusiness, an inspired CSR consulting and Sustainability Reporting firm)

GE: Responsibilitimagination

General Electric does imagination with everything. Ecomagination. Healthymagination. Whatnextimagination? I reviewed their recent Corporate Responsibility Report - responsibilitimagination  (my nickname - but GE are welcome to use it - haha - for a small fee:))  in my regular slot in Ethical Corporation Magazine (click here for subscribers). You can download the full review from my website here. The real problem, of course, in reporting, for a company such as GE is, well, just how much everythingimagination can you fit into 40 pages?

Quite a lot, is the answer, especially if you back it up with a jampackedimagination website. Starting off with Responsibility 101, to ensure we are all on the same page, moving through a detailed look at Employee Survey Feedback,  passing through GE's priorities, and how GE strengthens the global economy, and a range of stories giving  detailed insights and case studies, and more, GE does a pretty commendable job in clear and reasonably transparent reporting in a nicely navigable website and short summary report. This report is called "Renewing Responsibilities", which is a  statement about finding new ways to revive plans, partnerships and programs after the"Great Recession" , which doesn't seem to have hit GE all that hard, but with a recognition that there are now even more "complex and pressing problems" to fix in the world, GE wants to do its bit. 

Here are the first few paragraphimaginations of my review:

"A report from a giant such as GE, a "diversified infrastructure, finance and media company taking on the world's toughest challenges" with over $150Bn annual revenues and 288,000 employees, raises high expectations. Sam Nunn, the Chair of GE's Public Responsibilities Committee and Board Member, confirms that "Citizenship is not a spectator sport" and that companies with global reach and impact must set priorities to increase shareholder value whilst having a positive impact on society and the environment. There appears to be no doubt that GE is serious about their framework to "make money, make it ethically and make a difference" and happily for us all, planning to do more, not least because of the tangible business benefits this delivers. GE is an icon in Sustainability Strategy and Sustainability Branding – one of the first globals to adopt the language of strategy rather than the touchy-feely do-good give-back rhetoric of most early adopters - and this pays off. Ecomagination product sales have grown faster than any other segment and now account for 28 percent of GE's industrial product portfolio, almost doubling its revenue in 5 years. Healthymagination is GE’s six-year $6Bn commitment to healthcare innovation, established in 2009 to help deliver better lower-cost health-care, tapping in to a growing global $3.5Trn market. GE's strategic choices are inspired and executed with attention to a broad range of stakeholder needs, alignment with key Millenium Goal world problems, an impressive commitment to transparency and an eye for where the profit is.

This, GE's sixth Citizenship Report, entitled "Renewing Responsibilities" is a response to the need for renewal after what CEO Jeff Immelt calls the "Great Recession" and definitely not for those short of time or lacking concentration. It is a packed 40 page printed summary, backed by extensive online content, including "deep-dive" articles on key themes from employees, unedited commentary from customers and external experts, individual country fact sheets showcasing the local flavour of GE's citizenship and much more. Taken as a whole, the GE report focuses on the core global themes of GE's citizenship: Energy and Climate Change; Sustainable Healthcare and Community Building, exploring these themes in depth, providing contextual commentary and describing GE's performance in each area. GE's approach is persuasive. They set the scene and describe how they do their bit. It's hard not to get swept along with the logic of it all."

So where is the "BUT", or, as they might say at GE, the butimagination ? Is everything total hunky-dory at GE? There are a few things I addressed in a later section of my review:

"Overall, of the key sectors that make up GE's business, the largest share of revenue comes from GE Capital, which engages in financing capital assets, real estate, loans and even private label credit cards. This $50Bn revenue business, effectively GE's own private Bank, has a fundamental impact on corporate and consumer financial behaviour but is barely mentioned in this report. What is GE's position on the principles of responsible finance and responsible lending? Who and what is GE financing? How GE approaches 32% of its revenue engine remains, in my view, an omission. In fact, this goes to the core of the challenges of balanced sustainability reporting facing a mammoth diversified global business. Whilst GE reports impressively on material themes, and some localized country perspectives, coverage by business segment is lacking. Technology and Energy segments are largely addressed through the Ecomagination and Healthymagination discussions, with some reference to GE's consumer business, but GE's approach to managing its capital and media businesses (including NBC Universal, theme parks, digital media etc) are not discussed. I believe, for a business of this size and diverse scope, a briefing by segment would also be appropriate. One other area which deserves greater disclosure relates to lobbying practices. GE's public policies (China, Iran, Free Trade etc) are clearly stated, and make sense, but a $25Mn annual lobbying spend in the US alone deserves a line or two at least. "

Overall, this report does show GE as one of the leaders in sustainability thinking and practice. I have always maintained that a branded approach to sustainability focuses the mind and corporate energies behind the most important things and delivers business benefit. The GEmagination branding is good. It works. And it delivers.

Anyway, time now for a little ChunkyMonkeymagination ....

elaine cohen, CSR consultant, Sustainabilty Reporter, HR Professional, Ice Cream Addict. Author of CSR for HR: A necessary partnership for advancing responsible business practices  Contact me via www.twitter.com/elainecohen  on Twitter or via my business website www.b-yond.biz/en  (BeyondBusiness, CSR consulting and Sustainability Reporting firm)