Sustainable development performance assessment

Abstract

Abstract With increasing pressure to act and report on sustainability strategies, an overwhelming number of principles, tools, results indicators, and reporting formats have emerged to measure and communicate a corporation's approach. Corporations make use of various initiatives and programs to demonstrate their commitment to sustainable development. Yet participation in these initiatives and programs does not mean that a company is in fact becoming more sustainable or that it is recognizing real business value as a result. Providing a review of some of the prevailing sustainability programs, approaches, and decision‐support tools, this paper fits the value of participating in particular initiatives into a more comprehensive view of sustainability. The paper provides a conceptual framework for a company to leverage its participation in existing sustainability initiatives to (1) assess its baseline sustainability performance and form the basis for improving its overall sustainability performance, and (2) reassess, align, and integrate its sustainability objectives and actions with its business objectives and actions. © 2004 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Environ Prog, 2004