The triple-bottom-line: benchmarking New Zealand’s early reporters

Abstract

If recent pronouncements and events are any barometer, many organisations in New Zealand look set to begin issuing Triple-Bottom-Line reports. Such reports are intended to communicate an organisation’s social and environmental performance as well as its financial performance. The New Zealand Business Council for Sustainable Development has been a key promoter of such reporting, and recently launched a Business Guide to Sustainable Development Reporting. The practice and promotion of TBL reporting, however, is not just confined to business entities. A number of public sector organisations are also beginning to embark on such a reporting process. Internationally, the practice and analysis of triplebottom-line reports has a longer history. SustainAbility, the London-based consultancy headed by John Elkington, has conducted benchmarking studies since the mid 1990s. Using a version of SustainAbility’s benchmarking guidelines, the content of eight of New Zealand’s earliest triple-bottom-line reports issued in 2001 are examined. We highlight how they stand up to international best practice, the key trends to emerge from these early reports, and provide suggestions for further improvement.