Wolters Kluwer Enablon software

Enablon SD-CSR is a comprehensive and integrated solution for meeting sustainability requirements. Companies are facing increased demands for information about their social and environmental performance. Stakeholders, including investors, customers, rating agencies, the media, and the general public, are all evaluating companies using nonfinancial criteria. CSR performance data is thus becoming an increasingly important feature of corporate reports. The trend towards external auditing of CSR and sustainability reports is also reinforcing the need for greater data reliability and overall high standards of transparency and auditability.

Today’s challenging business environment is putting increased pressure on Sustainability, EHS and Risk professionals to deliver business performance while efficiently communicating to their internal or external stakeholders. In a world where social media and digital technologies have become mainstream, catching stakeholders’ attention requires more than old-fashioned static reports.

Within the context of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), many companies have implemented initiatives programs such as philanthropy actions and community involvement programs. Through these programs, companies invest corporate assets – which can be money, employee time or in-kind donations – in global as well as local community initiatives. Recent studies* have shown that companies today lack a global overview of their initiatives and their donations to the communities in which they operate. They often rely on informal exchanges at the local level rather than a systematic structured reporting process. To reap the benefits of their initiatives programs, companies need better visibility into their community efforts which will lead to efficient control of how corporate assets are invested at both the local and global levels. * Ernst & Young – “Implementing a CSR approach” Report– February 2008.

Because business activities are becoming increasingly international, and because many countries have increased and tightened their social regulations, a growing number of companies are reporting on their social performance. As a result, companies have a variety of new needs in terms of information and performance management: Social reporting (official Social Report, French NRE report, etc.). Compliance monitoring (compliance with local social laws, application of companies’ internal codes of conduct). Management of human capital, a key factor for competitiveness.

More than ever, the challenges of corporate responsibility play a decisive role in a company’s performance. Extra-financial data are now taken into consideration by stakeholders (employees, investors, customers, suppliers, rating agencies and the media…) when evaluating and benchmarking company performance. As a result, corporations are now expected to respond to a multitude of specific information requests from their stakeholders and need to meet increasingly stringent transparency and reliability requirements.