Framework for Integrated Reporting Performance Material or immaterial? Clearly identifying non-financial issues in their report Top countries: Stakeholders are increasingly demanding more transparency when it comes to disclosure of the performance of the business so that they can assess a company’s sustainability now and in the future. A balanced view of the company, discussing challenges and opportunities, successes and failures and comparable data – financial and non-financial – is crucial in helping readers to make this assessment. Activities as well as performance indicators should be presented to demonstrate how the strategy is being delivered and how material impacts are being managed. If a company has not yet been able to make an inherent link between the importance of sustainability as a business driver and a key component of strategy, or have a clear understanding of its material impacts, a sustainability section in the report can still act as a means of identifying issues, targets and performance. However, the sustainability information that is presented in the report should be concise, relevant and inform the reader of the policies in place while also outlining quantitative and qualitative targets. Where possible, a commitment to sustainability issues being embedded throughout the day-to-day activities of the business can also help to improve the usefulness of the report. All of the South African companies surveyed identify CR issues in their Annual Reports and 38% mention the process undertaken to determine material sustainability issues. South Africa is the only country in our sample group in which every company identifies environmental, social and people issues. Although not all provide details of the policies in place and performance data, over 75% of companies presented performance information in each category whilst over 63% of companies presented details on the specific policies in place for each of the issues. 88% of companies in the European sample group identify CR issues in their report. The group is strong at documenting the policies in place for people issues such as HR policies and other employee relation processes, with 90% presenting some information of this kind. Slightly fewer companies (63%) report the policies in place for environmental and social issues which they face. This may be due to the fact that the environmental and social issues are regarded as less tangible or simply less established than those regarding people. Over three-quarters of companies in the Brazilian sample group clearly identified CR issues in their report, with 78% of the companies making a commitment to their wider stakeholder groups. This demonstrates an awareness of the wider issues faced by those companies and the potential impact of their operations on key stakeholders. The most commonly reported issues are environmental, closely followed by people and societal issues. South Africa 100% Europe 88% Republic of Korea 80% Providing non-financial performance data Top countries: South Africa 87% Europe 82% Brazil 55% Key findings The sample groups which had most reports providing non-financial performance were South Africa, Europe and Brazil, and interestingly this group of countries are the only ones identifying a materiality process for the information contained within the report. 22 Towards Global Sustainability A country by country review of the international integrated reporting landscape