This discussion paper by Graham Hubbard of the University of Adelaide is part of a project being undertaken with Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) and Tomorrow’s Company on the impact that sustainability reporting frameworks have on their users.

The Ubuntu Declaration is the product of the recent Emergency Congress, with Rights and Humanity, the South African Human Rights Commission and Tomorrow's Company. The Declaration sets out a holistic and systemic policy framework for what to do now to protect the world's poorest peoples, how to reform the global financial system, and how to create the conditions for sustainable development and effective growth. It starts by recognising  - as we would describe it - the importance of 'the triple context': that we all need to bring the economic, social and environmental systems into balance. The Ubuntu declaration consciously and clearly argues for the alignment of the development agenda alongside tackling the climate crunch, the credit crunch  and the threat to  biodiversity.   Amongst other things It calls for one third - $750bn - or current world stimulus packages to be focussed to the green agenda: recongising that this will be the most efficient in creating jobs and building a...

On 29th April Mark Goyder, Founder Director of Tomorrow's Company, presented the awards at the Strategic Planning Society's 2009 'Strategic Value in Corporate Reporting Awards' and gave this owerpoint presentation.The subject of his speech was Sustainability in Annual Reporting and as the awards recognised the best narrative reporting Mark described the secret of storytelling; that being to describe a quest, an adventure, a journey with its protagonists, its milestones, its ups and downs and twists and turns. He said that sustainability is a crucial part of the landscape and that yesterday's societal concerns are today's customer concerns and tomorrow's shareholder returns.You can find a recording of Mark's speech to listen to along side this powerpoint presentation here.

Qualitative Growth by Fritjof Capra and Hazel Henderson has been published by Tomorrow’s Company with the ICAEW.  This paper not only builds on our mission to understand better business success and how it can best be achieved, but also sets this in what Tomorrow's Company describe as the triple context: that sustainable value creation will be rooted in harnessing the full opportunity of recognising the links between the economic, social and environmental sub-systems on which we all depend for our lives and prosperity. Although sustainability is a growing issue, it is not well understood. As the subject is prioritised by business, governments and civil society, the need to clarify how to do it, how to measure and report on it and how to assure sustainability information become key issues. In the ICAEW landmark publication Sustainability: the role of accountants the ICAEW argued that these areas of expertise – building and managing flows of valuable, reliable and trusted information...