Early environmental reports were thinly veiled public relations exercises. Dubbed "greenwash," they angered many stakeholders. Over the past decade industry, regulatory agencies, and Non-Government Organizations (NGOs) have issued more than thirty standards for corporate reporting. Clearly, there is more guidance and tools available today, but has actual practice met stakeholder needs? This article examines current practices and offers some suggestions for making reporting both credible and more effective. It's harder than you think, judging from our evaluation of recent reports. Reporting has grown sophisticated, but so too have expectations and analysis techniques. What may be viewed by many as excellent reporting may be judged by others as flawed, inconsistent, and even deceitful. How do you satisfy the needs of your target audience(s) and at the same time avoid errors omissions than can prove to be embarrassing, if not damaging to your company's reputation? The answer lies in improving the internal management processes used to prepare these reports.
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