Sustainability Reporting Award
An entry in the ARA Sustainability Reporting Award may be printed and/or online. Organisations must enter the ARA General Award to be eligible to enter the ARA Sustainability Reporting Award.
Sustainability reporting comes in various forms and may be separate from, or combined with, an annual and/or integrated report. Sustainability reporting may involve an associated Sustainability Databook with data and reporting indexes.
To receive a Gold Sustainability Reporting Award, an entry must:
a) Achieve overall excellence in sustainability reporting
b) Demonstrate high-quality coverage against the ARA Criteria
c) Provide full disclosure of material sustainability topics relevant to the organisation
d) Explain and address relevant legislative and regulatory requirements
e) Be model sustainability reporting for other organisations to follow.
To receive a Silver Sustainability Reporting Award, an entry must:
a) Achieve high quality sustainability reporting
b) Demonstrate quality coverage against the ARA Criteria
c) Provide effective disclosure of material sustainability topics relevant to the organisation
d) Explain and address relevant legislative and regulatory requirements.
To receive a Bronze Sustainability Reporting Award, an entry must:
a) Achieve quality sustainability reporting
b) Provide satisfactory coverage of most aspects of the ARA Criteria
c) Provide disclosure of material sustainability topics relevant to the organisation
d) Explain and address relevant legislative and regulatory requirements.
Sustainability Reporting Award Criteria
The Sustainability Reporting Award criteria are grouped in three elements: Reporting Content; Credibility and Quality; and Communication.
Reporting Content (45% of marks)
High-quality sustainability reporting will enable a reader to form a complete view of an organisation’s sustainability performance, impacts, risks and opportunities, and management of material topics. A reader will be able to develop a understanding of the organisation in terms of what it does, its operations, its governance structure and processes, and its approach to ethics and integrity.
The criteria to assess Reporting Content with regard to sustainability reporting are:
a) Organisation context and profile: reporting on an organisation’s size and scale, operating locations, significant activities, brands, products and services, business model and value chain
b) Supply chain: reporting on an organisation’s supply chain and any policy and initiatives to reduce supply chain impacts
c) Economic, environmental and social impacts, risks and opportunities: reporting on an organisation’s sustainability impacts, risks and opportunities for material topics as well as reporting within the broader sustainability context
d) Management of material topics: reporting on an organisation’s management of material topics covering:
i. Reporting on strategy, policies, commitments, responsibilities, resourcing, grievance mechanisms, and specific actions, such as processes, projects, programs and initiatives
ii. Reporting against goals and targets
iii. Reporting on how management of material topics is monitored and evaluated
e) Governance: reporting on governance structure, sustainability responsibilities, governance processes and risk management
f) Ethics and integrity: reporting on an organisation’s ethics, values and behaviours
g) Innovation: any innovations in sustainability reporting?
Credibility and Quality (35% of marks)
High-quality sustainability reporting depends on a credible and robust reporting process to identify, explain and report against material sustainability topics. Stakeholders will be identified including stakeholder interests and engagement approaches and responses.
Importantly, sustainability reporting will provide balanced commentary and reporting will be able to be compared across reporting periods, such as through a Sustainability Databook. Assurance of some form will further demonstrate credibility in reporting.
The criteria to assess the Credibility and Quality of sustainability reporting are:
a) Reporting process: effectiveness of explaining the reporting process and how material topics were identified including if the reporting draws on any standards for sustainability reporting
b) Stakeholder engagement: effectiveness of reporting on key stakeholders, interests and engagement approaches
c) Balance: reporting on both positive and negative performance
d) Comparability: of sustainability reporting across reporting periods including the content of a Sustainability Databook (if applicable)
e) Assurance: has the sustainability reporting been subject to assurance (including if the reporting draws on assurance standards)?
Communication (20% of marks)
High-quality sustainability reporting will have an effective structure, layout and appearance and will be easy to read, navigate and find information. There will be appropriate linkages with other corporate information and reporting including any Sustainability Databook. The reporting may feature innovative communication approaches.
The criteria to assess the Communication of sustainability reporting are:
a) Layout and appearance: effectiveness of the sustainability reporting structure and design, and the appropriateness of the mix of text, charts, illustrations, infographics, photos and video
b) Readability and length: is the reporting readable and easily understood with a target audience and summary or overview
c) Navigation and linkages with other corporate reporting: ease of navigation, the quality of reporting indexes and linkages with other corporate information and reporting including any Sustainability Databook
d) Accessibility: how accessible is the sustainability reporting, such as in Braille, large print, electronic format on an accessible website, and available in different language(s) relevant to the identified audience?
e) Feedback mechanisms: is a reader able to provide feedback and is there a key contact?
f) Use of technology in communication: have any innovative communication approaches been used?
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