Let’s be honest: there are no small number of businesses out there that see disclosure and reporting about sustainability or ESG as a burdensome afterthought – something that is done to satisfy external stakeholders, but that has little value to the ambitions of the business.
At Levin Sources, we do understand some of the frustration driving this attitude, such as competing expectations of reporting. But we also think this view risks missing out on the opportunity of reporting. Public reporting about the business’ efforts to respect human rights and the environment is one of the most powerful levers the business has to accelerate and increase the effectiveness of those efforts.
Why? Because public reporting requires the business to take stock of everything it’s done – and whether it’s working. This narrative then gets tested publicly with a range of stakeholders, many of whom play a key role in holding business to account for being a responsible part of society – stakeholders such as investors and civil society.
When Levin Sources works with businesses on public reporting, we help them seize this opportunity to make public disclosure a boon to help them reach their ambitions as a responsible, investment-ready, legally compliant company. That’s the promise of a value-add approach to reporting.
We help businesses navigate the increasingly complex field of reporting and disclosure requirements, such as the EU Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) and the European Sustainability Reporting Standards, as well as voluntary standards for reporting on due diligence, such as the Integrated Reporting Framework, the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), and reporting under the UNGP Reporting Framework and OECD Guidelines and Guidance on responsible business conduct. We also help businesses as they prepare for reporting under the CSRD, including when identifying material topics for disclosure.
Our team brings very particular and critical skillsets when supporting businesses with their public reporting: world-class writing and editing skills in English; deep expertise in human rights and environmental due diligence – its structure, implementation and terminology; excellent understanding of due diligence reporting and disclosure standards and requirements; strong sense of stakeholder expectations and evolving best practice; extensive experience managing report writing processes, from conception to publication.
Some examples of Levin Sources’ work supporting business with public reporting include:
ABN AMRO Human Rights Report 2022:
Levin Sources supported ABN AMRO Bank to continue its leadership path in human rights reporting. In line with the UNGP Reporting Framework, Levin Sources helped ABN AMRO set out a strategic approach to the 2022 report, drove the information-gathering phase through documentation review and interviews, and held the pen in authoring the text. Levin Sources worked closely with ABN AMRO to manage complex feedback rounds and strike necessary compromises while aiming for transparency. As with the 2020 report – the first human rights report in the world to receive assurance – the 2022 report had limited assurance from EY.
Volkswagen Group Raw Materials Report 2022:
Levin Sources supported the Volkswagen Group in the authorship of its annual report on its efforts to responsibly source raw materials in line with the OECD Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Supply Chains of Minerals from Conflict-Affected and High-Risk Areas. Levin Sources helped the Volkswagen Group structure the report and identified areas for improvement in the reporting with regard to transparency, comprehensibility, and alignment with broader global normative frameworks on human rights and environmental due diligence, such as the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. Levin Sources worked with a range of functions within the Volkswagen Group to gather and clarify information, held the pen in authoring the text of the report, and managed feedback rounds on tight timelines, while coordinating with editorial and graphic design teams.
ING Human Rights Review 2021/2022 and Human rights report 2022/2023:
Levin Sources supported ING Bank over its past two human rights due diligence reporting cycles, serving as expert advisor and technical reviewer for drafts. Bringing our expertise in reporting on human rights due diligence in line with the UNGP Reporting Framework, Levin Sources helped ING identify opportunities to increase transparency of reporting and reflect both progress as well as challenges in the Bank’s due diligence using understandable and straightforward language.
