1. A Brief Introduction to
Sustainability Reporting
By John Cummings

2. Introduction
• An accomplished corporate communications
professional with over three decades of experience, John
Cummings serves as the principal of Simplicity
Communications in Denver. In his current role, John
Cummings advises private and public corporate clients
in several areas, including brand positioning, investor
relations, and sustainability reporting.
A common practice in today’s global business
environment, sustainability reporting provides a way for
companies and other organizations to communicate
their social, environmental, and economic impacts to
shareholders and the public at large.

3. Sustainability Reporting
• This type of reporting also helps companies manage their
impacts in various areas and improve overall efficiency, which
can increase their competitiveness and promote investor
confidence.
Although some companies choose to produce sustainability
reports that are internally guided, more and more firms today
follow third-party frameworks established by organizations
such as the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), a leader in
sustainability reporting for over 15 years. John Cummings has
used the GRI framework to guide his work for several clients.
Sustainability reporting can serve as a powerful differentiator
in a competitive job market. Prospective employees
deliberately seek out employers whose sustainability values
matched their own.