Accounting: Business Reporting for Decision Making 7th Edition by Jacqueline Birt Solution manual
Materials:
- total material use.
Initiatives aimed at using post-consumer recycled materials and waste from industrial sources.
Waste — solid and hazardous:
- total amount of solid waste by type and destination
- total amount of hazardous waste produced (as defined by the Hazardous Waste Act or State waste regulations)
- initiatives and improvements.
Emissions and discharges to air, land and water:
- significant emissions to air and land
- significant discharges to water by discharge type
- initiatives to reduce emissions and discharges.
Biodiversity:
- location and size of land and water owned, leased or managed in biodiversity-rich or ecologically significant habitat areas
- major impacts on land, water and biodiversity associated with an organisation’s activities, products and services
- initiatives and improvements.
Ozone-depleting substances:
- ozone-depleting substances (ODS) emissions.
Suppliers:
- initiatives to encourage.
Products and services:
- describe where relevant, major environmental impacts at each stage of the life cycle of principal products and services
- product and service stewardship initiatives including efforts to improve product design and lessen impacts associated with manufacturing, use and disposal.
Compliance:
- incidences of and penalties for non-compliance with applicable laws
- significant spills of chemicals, oils and fuels in terms of total number and total volume.
c. Discuss how accountants could help an entity develop a TBL report.
The role of the accountant in promoting and reporting sustainability is very broad. They can use their skills of aggregating data into useful information, help with cost analysis of environmental decisions and be involved with the audit and assurance of corporate social reports.
- Reporting. Accountants are well versed in the application of standards for reporting, and their skills in this area can be applied to the reporting of an entity’s sustainability performance. Their systems could also be modified to incorporate environmental and social information, which could be used for both external and internal reporting purposes.
- Cost analysis. Comparison of two competing investment projects would require an analysis of economic profits in order to make decisions relating to social and environmental initiatives. For example, a development may require land to be brought back to its original condition; a decision may be needed as to what tyres to purchase given their costs and impacts on company-maintained roads; or the cost of implementing energy-efficient devices may need to be compared to the energy consumption costs. This could then be extended to the collection, analysis and reporting of non-qualitative information.
- Audit and assurance services. The integrity of the information and its collection can be safeguarded by putting in place clear processes and procedures known as internal control. This is familiar ground for accountants and makes them ideal candidates to help provide audit and assurance on the corporate social responsibility reports that are issued by entities. Apart from internal control, the systems in place and reports produced can be audited by external independent groups or individuals. The GRI Standards identify external assurance as important to the reporting process and list its key qualities. External assurance:
- is conducted by groups or individuals who are external, competent and independent of the reporting organisation
- is systematic, documented, evidence-based and characterised by defined procedures
- assesses whether the report provides a reasonable and balanced presentation of performance
- utilises groups or individuals that are not unduly limited by their relationship with the organisation or its stakeholders (that is, they are impartial and independent)