By expressing issues such as low pay or overuse of carbon as 'externalities', we have let company directors, their auditors and investors off the hook – ignoring actions they could take using existing accounting standards, warns Jeremy Nicholls.
From aircraft safety to finance, we live our lives by standards. But many simply reinforce patriarchy – not least in financial accounting. With developments like AI exacerbating prejudices, there’s an urgent need for change, says Jeremy Nicholls.
Current guidance on how to prepare a financial report ignores their biggest user – one that's interested in much more than just money. It's causing billions in wasted resources, writes our columnist.
The entrepreneur that sees his venture as a "pain reliever" for high-polluting firms in Indonesia; what it takes to create an inclusive impact fund – and meeting President Biden: this week's update from the editors at Pioneers Post.
Assurance of sustainability reports is meant to tell us that the reporting has been done properly. Shouldn’t that question be answered from the perspective of the people most affected by an organisation’s actions?
Economic theory depends on accounting – yet it ignores the role of accounting in distributing value. Why does that matter? Because it limits the potential contribution of economics in resolving today's social and environmental crises.
Most companies’ sustainability reports still fail to capture what matters to the people who actually experience the impacts. Assurance can help us put them and their wellbeing high up on the agenda – and push us to keep improving.
PART 3: Figuring out what to include in a sustainability report means accepting higher thresholds for uncertainty. That’s confusing for the user and more difficult for the auditor, writes our columnist – but there is a way to make it work.
