CSR - Evidence on the Greenhouse Gases of the top 300 European Firms

A brand new report which is packed full of data on carbon emissions has been published which will make for good reading in some boardrooms but uncomfortable reading in others…

We referred to Aviva as being a shining example of a firm that takes CSR seriously during our AQA BUSS4 CPD conferences and they certainly take the plaudits following the publication of The ET Europe 300 Carbon Ranking.

According to the new ranking,Aviva has the lowest greenhouse gas emissions of Europe’s 300 biggest companies. You can view the full ranking and report here.

This ranking highlights the best and the worst of the continent’s top businesses, focusing not just on greenhouse gas emissions but also on levels of disclosure and verification. Some strong evidence in the report on the need for large firms to invest more in social and environmental reporting (BUSS4 bullet 6) if they are to gain the support and respect of the environmental investment community? It appears that there is still much to do, despite the increasing proportion of Europe’s largest firms which publish a dedicated CSR report to their shareholders.

According to the EIO - the publishers of the rankings,

“Despite most companies producing corporate social responsibility reports there remains a remarkable lack of transparency and clarity in Greenhouse Gas emissions reporting”

Will the publication of the greenhouse gas rankings provide sufficient peer pressure to encourage firms to reduce their emissions and also improve their reporting and disclosure? The EIO hopes so:

“Through our series of Global, Regional and National ET Carbon Rankings, the public can access emissions data in an understandable format in one place, highlighting the leaders and laggards.“As one company improves its levels of disclosure and intensity score, dynamic pressure is applied to all other companies.”