The Reporting Exchange – revolutionising the reporting landscape

The World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), the Climate Disclosure Standards Board (CDSB) and Ecodesk have joined forces to create The Reporting Exchange, a freely available, multi-lingual, global sustainability reporting knowledge platform. This pioneering platform will enable business to make sense of the reporting requirements or guidance relevant to them at the national, regional and international level.

Using a crowdsourcing model, the Reporting Exchange will identify the reporting regulations, rules, policies, practices, initiatives, standards, codes and guidance which make up the reporting landscape as it evolves over time. This platform will provide much needed clarification to business. It will also be a useful tool for regulators, investors, academics, NGOs and civil society as well as for organizations developing reporting initiatives. The platform will help them find evidence and resources to advocate for greater corporate responsibility and accountability.

“At WBCSD, we believe this work is vital and we are delighted to be working with Ecodesk and CDSB to develop this transformational platform.” said Rodney Irwin, Managing Director of the Redefining Value Program. “We’ve seen that the changing expectations of corporate performance and transparency have catalyzed activity around corporate sustainability reporting, creating an increasingly complex and fragmented reporting landscape which is difficult for business to navigate. We hope the Reporting Exchange will help clarify this space.”

Mark Adorian, Chairman at Ecodesk added, “We’re very excited to be working in partnership with WBCSD and CDSB to develop this much-needed tool. Reducing the reporting burden is central to Ecodesk’s ethos. There’s a lot of crowding and confusion in the global reporting space, and we’re delighted to be a part of the catalyst towards consolidated requirements, enhanced reporting, and ultimately, improved information for making the right business decisions towards a resilient, thriving global economy that delivers for people and planet.”

The Reporting Exchange will enable a better understanding of the reporting landscape, which in turn, will enhance and consolidate corporate disclosure of sustainability performance, promote integrated management reporting, facilitate informed and sustainable decision making, and enable the investment community to better assess corporate performance, risks and opportunities.

The Reporting Exchange platform will be available in open beta format at the end of 2016 to enable public users to share their feedback. The platform is planned for global release in mid-2017.

This project is funded by The Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation.