Forum event 2009
On Thursday 17th December 2009, around two hundred representatives from the corporate sector, the investment community, the Forum's Accounting Bodies Network, the public sector and academia gathered in London for the A4S Forum meeting. The subject of the meeting was the role of the finance and accounting community in coming forward with an international financial reporting framework to provide integrated, concise, clear and comparable financial and non-financial information about organisations' sustainability performance.
Speeches were given by:
His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales
Click here to read a transcript of this speech
Professor Tim Jackson, Professor of Sustainable Development, University of Surrey, on the macro-economic conditions required to achieve a sustainable economy and the implications for accounting and reporting.
Click here to read a transcript of this speech 
(140KB)
Lord Colin Sharman, Chairman, Aviva plc on the response required by investors, CFOs and boards to integrate sustainability considerations into strategic planning and reporting, and the benefits of connected reporting.
Click here to read a transcript of this speech (96KB)
Professor Mervyn King, Chairman, King Committee on Corporate Governance and Chairman, Global Reporting Initiative on the urgent need to establish a connected and integrated reporting framework and the required regulatory and governance response.
Click here to read a transcript of this speech (84KB)
Click here to view a list of participants. (112KB)
REPORTS LAUNCHED ON THE DAY
Governance & Collaboration - Establishing an "International Connected Reporting Committee" (107 KB)
Connected Reporting - A practical guide with worked examples (263 KB). Click here to read more about Connected Reporting Practical Insights - A summary of case studies in embedding and reporting sustainability (117 KB)
Forum event 2008
On Wednesday 17th December 2008, more than two hundred representatives from the corporate sector, the investment community, the Forum's Accounting Bodies Network, the public sector, academia and NGOs gathered in London to discussAccounting for sustainability: decision-making and reporting in a resource constrained world.
Opening speeches were given by:
- His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales (click here to read the transcript of the speech)
- Tony Hayward, Group Chief Executive, BP
- Stephen Green, Group Chairman, HSBC Holdings plc
- David Blood, Senior Partner, Generation Investment Management
Click here to go to the Media Centre to listen to or download recordings of these speeches.
Click here to view a list of participants. (169KB)
Following the speeches, participants assembled in groups to help identify concrete steps towards better accounting for sustainability. This involved discussion of, among other areas:
- current developments in connected reporting
- carbon reporting and decision making
- valuing sustainability impacts
- embedding sustainability within strategy and risk
Proceedings from the day will be published in a report outlining responses to key sustainability challenges, potential solutions to identified barriers and responsibilities for action.
Pre-reading booklet:
- Click here to view/download (135KB).
Additional documents available to view / download:
Group 1: Connected reporting - a mechanism for change
- Brian Ballou and Dan Heitger article in Strategic Finance, May 2008
- Aviva presentation synopsis(12KB)
Group 2: Carbon - sustainability reporting standards and information gaps
- Mark Bromley, EDF Energypresentation slides(674KB)
- Climate Disclosure Standards Board (CDSB) overview (40KB)
Group 3: Placing a value on sustainability
- Jeffrey Unerman presentation summary(139KB)
- Jeffrey Unerman presentation slides(314KB)
Group 4: Strategy and risk
- Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants (CICA) presentation summary(18KB)
- CICA paper - Sustainability, Risk and Opportunity: A Holistic Approach (783KB)
- Extract from BT's sustainability report (124 KB)