The Stockholm School of Economics’ “Walking the talk?” study, which is being conducted for the second time this year, focuses on comparing what companies announce they are going to do in the area of sustainability with the reports about what they have actually done. Only information published on company websites, as well as in their sustainability and annual reports, forms the basis for the assessment.
BillerudKorsnäs has improved considerably compared to the overall assessment in 2015, both regarding the description of the company’s ambitions and the reporting of its accomplishments. As a result, BillerudKorsnäs is among the best companies on the Stockholm Stock Exchange’s NASDAQ OMX Large Cap Index.
Henrik Essén, SVP Communications & Sustainability, said "We are pleased to see how our high ambitions and results in the area of sustainability are evident in our communication. Our mission to challenge conventional packaging to ensure a sustainable future means that we need to perform well in all respects, and also that we continuously provide thorough and accurate information to our stakeholders. This confirms that we are on the right track."
Using the same methodology as last time, the data for 2017 was collected by two economics students overseen by the Stockholm School of Economics, on behalf of the Mistra Center for Sustainable Markets (Misum), a research centre. A conclusion from the study is that the vast majority of companies say more about what they plan to achieve than is reported in terms of concrete measures that have been implemented.
Since the previous study in 2015, the major companies on the stock market have admittedly at least raised the issue of sustainability higher up the strategic agenda. Almost all companies have defined goals within several areas of sustainability, which is reflected in comments made by Managing Directors and statements regarding company values, tasks and visions. However, it is still unusual for any targets to extend beyond 2020.
More information about the results in the report are available here.
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Sustainable Brands Staff
Published Oct 3, 2017 1pm EDT / 10am PDT / 6pm BST / 7pm CEST