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What is a Sustainability Report, and why is it important? 

What is a Sustainability Report, and why is it important? 

A Sustainability Report is a document that comprises key information pertaining to environmental, social land corporate governance (ESG) aspects of a company. It is one of the main tools for disclosing ESG goals, results and indicators, and linked to corporate performance and strategy. 

Through it, large companies share the organization’s progress and main events of the previous year, lending transparency to all stakeholders. 

But do you really know how important this document is? Continue reading to understand more. 

What is the objective of a Sustainability Report?

A Sustainability Report presents a company’s pillars, ESG performance, business model, fulfillment of goals and new challenges, in addition to being supported by several international reporting frameworks. 

In it, companies inform the stakeholders involved in their operations what are the most relevant facts in the year, in addition to measuring data and making projections for the following year. 

What is the importance of a Sustainability Report?

The Sustainability Report is very important for a company and its internal and external stakeholders, as it reports the results of its main decisions, reinforcing transparency and reliability. 

The topics that deserve the most attention in the report are: 

  • a breakdown of the Business Model, with emphasis on inputs, business fronts and results of the company; 
  • presentation of the financial and operational performance, with explanations about the most relevant events in the year and forecasts for the next cycles; 
  • a detailed disclosure of the progress and next steps in the ESG Journey.  

These and other aspects help to understand a company’s profile and strategic plan, clearly demonstrating its purpose. 

Who would be interested in a Sustainability Report?

A Sustainability Report is full of valuable information for all stakeholders. Having access to a company’s operational and financial results allows everyone involved to understand how the organization actually operates and what environmental and social impacts it has on the society where it operates. 

The main parties interested in a Sustainability Report are investors, as the content addresses issues that can influence decision-making, such as the company’s strategy in relation to climate change, financial and operational results and highlights of the previous year. 

From an internal perspective, the Report can be used to engage employees toward the company’s purpose and goals. Presenting highlights of the previous year, addressing the team’s principles and guidelines and defining new paths to achieve goals is a means of creating a sense of community among teams and employees. 

How to prepare a Sustainability Report?

Preparing a complex document like a Sustainability Report comprises three key fronts: 

1. construction and production of content, aligned with the company’s purpose and way of communicating; 

2. collecting of data and indicators; 

3. development of art and layout, also in alignment with the company’s image and brand. 

In terms of content and indicators, most companies choose to follow the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) structure, an international organization that establishes best practices for communicating business impacts on sustainability issues. 

Why do we call Serena’s report ‘Integrated Sustainability Report’?

This year, Serena’s Sustainability Report took on a new name: Integrated Sustainability Report 2022. 

To prepare an even more complete report, we followed not only the GRI standards but also the guidelines and frameworks of the International Integrated Reporting Council (IIRC) and the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB), in addition to CVM Resolution 14 of 12/2020. Also essential was the energy and collaboration of a team of co-entrepreneurs focused on its execution. 

More than following all the guidelines mentioned above, the Integrated Sustainability Report 2022 also underwent an assurance audit. In this process, a licensed third party reviewed adherence to all criteria, checked the data reported and authorized using the term “Integrated Report”. Hence the new name. 

Following all these standards is a decision that has an important external impact, as they lend greater organization, reliability and tracking of company information. 

The Integrated Sustainability Report 2022 presents, in addition to the company’s main results, the Decarbonization Plan that establishes measures to achieve a 75% reduction in Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions by 2030, in conformity with the Science Based Targets Initiative (SbTI). 

The document also includes other advancements related to the group’s ESG agenda and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), such as strengthening the company’s operations to open up the Free Energy Market to all Brazilian consumers and launch of the Instituto Janela para o Mundo, coupled with the measuring of its social impact using the Social Return on Investment (SROI) methodology. 

Read the full version of our Integrated Sustainability Report 2022 here. 

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