There are a number of standards and guidelines for business on environmental reporting. A number of countries have already introduced mandatory environmental reporting. Indicators, targets and benchmarking Developing environmental indicators supports corporate planning, controlling and monitoring of performance. Stakeholder expectations are changing and becoming more demanding and they expect environmental performance to be an integral part of the business, not something separate. Setting ambitious targets motivates employees to achieve change.
Effective targets are ones that are quantified with deadlines.
The companies who have a longer-term, sustainable vision can use this approach to increase competitiveness and demonstrate effective management, and those who do not can be spurred into action. It enables a company to measure their performance in this area against other leading businesses. The CBI then sends the company a report on the findings, highlighting the strengths and weaknesses of the organisation and identifying areas for improvement. Indicators are designed to help to inform business, government, and the public about how businesses are becoming more sustainable. An indicator can measure not only the changes in behaviour but also the potential for change.