Head of Research, Outreach, and Inclusion
Best Bets for Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Reports
Consistency of ESG disclosures is a big concern. Public companies often discuss ESG-related issues in the Management Discussion and Analysis (MD&A) section of their annual financial reports. Any ESG issues discussed in the MD&A section are generally not subject to an independent audit (CRS Report, 2023).
More often, companies produce standalone ESG or sustainability reports.
The naming conventions for Sustainability Reports are quite varied. In fact, one Harvard Law School article (2021) found 18 distinct ways in which companies titled their reports. “Sustainability” (43%) was the most commonly used term in report titles, while “CSR” (24%) and “ESG” (23%) were further behind. Also noteworthy: The average length of a 2021 Sustainability Report was 70 pages.
CSR Report Name Options: Business & Sustainability Report - Citizenship and Sustainability Report - Corporate Citizenship Report - Corporate Responsibility Report - Corporate Social Responsibility Report - Environmental, Social and Governance (or ESG) Report - Global Citizenship Annual Report - Global Citizenship & Sustainability Report - Global Environmental & Social Impact Report - Global Impact Report - Global Responsibility Report - Impact Report - Integrated Sustainability Report and Annual Report - Responsible Business Report - Social Impact and Sustainability Report - Stakeholder Sustainability Report - Sustainability Report - Sustainable Impact Report.
- 3BL CSR WireBreaking CSR reports aggregated by industry.
- Corporate RegisterThe global online directory of CR reports. Includes over 145,000 reports across 22,000 companies.
- Bentley University: Hoffman Center for Business Ethics CSR Reports LibraryHoffman Center for Business Ethics archive of company CSR reports.
- Financial Stability Board - TCFD DisclosuresList of climate-related financial disclosures and sustainability reports that align with one or more of the TCFD’s 11 recommended disclosures.