Environmental Reporting on the Increase

A recent international survey carried out by KPMG has found a "significant increase" in the number of firms reporting on their environmental performance. However, the survey also indicates that environmental reporting is still a minority activity and that the quality of reports produced is highly variable. German and Swedish companies top the table for preparation of separate environmental reports, although the UK comes out top if coverage of environmental issues in other corporate reports is included. Legislation has been a significant driver in encouraging environmental reporting, and countries such as Denmark, Norway, Holland, Sweden and Australia which have introduced some form of 'green accounts' legislation have seen the level of reporting increase accordingly. Last year Environment Minister Michael Meacher called on all firms with more than 250 employees to report on their environmental performance and threatened legislation if voluntary action did not yield adequate improvement in this area.
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