Innovation + Responsibility

We are a little more than a week away from publishing Sun's fiscal 2007 CSR report - it should be posted on our Web site some time on Thursday, October 4.  I am really excited about it! The report itself will be Web-based, but we will also do a limited run of a 12-page summary piece - some people just want to hold it in their hands, I guess!

So I was sitting at my desk feeling proud about the report and an email came into my inbox CorporateRegister.com - a kind of clearinghouse site for CSR reports. CorprateRegister.com (note: site may require free registration) is kicking off voting for the 2007 Corporate Responsibility Reporting Awards. Sun's 2006 report is an entrant in two categories: First-Time Report and Honesty and Openness in Reporting. I'm not going to lie - I voted for us. And then I decided to poke around and look at what other companies are doing - companies that have been reporting for a while now.  I have to say, I was pretty blown away by what's out there.

I want to just call out a few reports that I think are pretty outstanding.  Any CSR practitioner who is responsible for her/his company's CSR reporting would really benefit from spending some time with these reports. From design to tone to content, these reports really blew me away.

(in no particular order)
Vodafone Group - for me, Vodafone is a gold standard report. The fact that they have been reporting for a while helps - they have lots of data and can really show progress and explain setbacks in a context
Citigroup - the Citigroup report is, in a word, awesome. It's pretty great in its own right, but what is also so great about it is how much better it is than past Citigroup reports!  When I was in business school I reviewed Citigroup's 2004 report for a class assignment.  I think I titled my paper something like, "Style over Substance." There was little to no data in the report and despite all the controversy  swirling around Citigroup's CEO and some of the company's investment banking and analyst practices, there was no mention of these matters in the report. Now, three years later, Citigroup's report really sets a high bar.
Weyerhaeuser Company - I admit, I was skeptical about a paper company's report. But this report is outstanding in its transparency and (what appears to be) robustness of data.  Weyerhaeuser's carbon disclosure is particularly impressive.
Volvo Car Corporation - I have a hard time seeing car companies as bastions of corporate responsibility (with the possible exception of Toyota these days). But Volvo really impressed me. I don't know if it's the European roots or what, but this report was really good. I liked how the report showed a lot of cars! That may sound silly but I think companies who report could stand to showcase their products a bit more - you know, to help stakeholders make a more direct connection between the products and the corporate responsibility program.
Ricoh Corporation - Okay, so...I don't really get (or like) the chimps on the report cover. But other than that, I think this is a report worth checking out. The feature that really stood out for me on this one was the third party assessment.  It is incredibly robust and transparent. The best I have seen of its kind. 

If you have recommendations for reports I should read, please let me know. I am always looking for best practices, as well as learning and growth opportunities for Sun as we continue to strengthen our overall CSR program, including reporting.

 And don't forget to check back on October 4 for our 2007 report!