Reading through a company's sustainability reports is a way to learn more about the sustainability activities of a company and industry. Many large public companies produce reports on sustainability or ESG (environmental, social, governance) practices. If available, this information can typically be found on the company's website.
These reports cover sustainability issues the company faces, and what they're doing to address these issues.
Review the sustainability or ESG reports of several companies in an industry, looking for information about their sustainability approaches. What sustainability issues are relevant for that specific industry? For example:
The sustainability issues and practices will vary, depending on the industry and company.
Through Seneca Libraries, additional information related to sustainability may be found by searching for the name of a company or industry + keywords related to sustainability. Each source type will contain different kinds of information:
Newspapers and magazines may report on the activities of a company or industry, including information relating to sustainability. For example, if there is an event that causes harm to the environment, news and magazine articles may cover the event and its impact. Or, if a company introduces a new sustainability initiative, newspapers may report on the initiative.
Professional / Trade Publications
Trade magazines publish articles aimed at people working in a particular field, to help them stay up to date on current topics within the field. Some of these articles may relate to sustainability within that industry, and how companies in the industry are addressing sustainability.
Industry reports often contain information on the activities of an industry. Use these reports to learn more about an industry, the outlook and trends within that industry, as well as information on the competitive landscape and key companies.
Articles in scholarly journals often report the results of new research, and provide in-depth information on a very specific topic. Scholarly articles may be highly specialized, looking at very specific sustainability practices or presenting the results of a specific research study.
Books can be a great starting point for background or overview information on a topic. Books provide overviews and introductions to topics, as well as in-depth examinations of topics. Books may focus on a specific sustainability issue, sustainability within an industry, or a specific topic related to sustainability.
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