Valpo selected for global sustainability initiative

Tue, August 5, 2008 |

Valparaiso University has become the third institution of higher education in the nation and fourth in the world invited to participate in the Global Reporting Initiative’s Matchmaker program, a new initiative that connects corporations with professors and students learning about and critiquing sustainable business practices.

GRI provides the world’s leading standard in sustainability reporting guidelines, used by two-thirds of Fortune 1000 companies to share their economic, environmental and social performance achievements and deficits affecting various stakeholders. The Matchmaker program strengthens that reporting by having a university critique the reports of both the company and an independent engineering or financial auditor that has assessed that company.

Elizabeth Gingerich, associate professor of business law and co-editor of Valparaiso’s Journal of Values-Based Leadership, recently completed Valpo’s first assessment of a company through the Matchmaker program. With the assistance of several Valparaiso faculty members and students, she reviewed the GRI reports of Ecological Designs Inc., a Colorado-based company that produces sporting equipment and clothing, and its independent auditor Symbiotic Engineering Inc.

“Consumers, investors and other stakeholders are becoming more sophisticated in their decisions about with whom they choose to do business,” Gingerich said. “An increasing number of people are not just looking at whether a company talks about sustainability and corporate social responsibility; they want an independent assessment of the impact that company is making. Ecological Designs and other corporations that make a commitment to reporting on their level of sustainable operations find that they are in a better position to secure more business or to attract new investors.”

By reporting on the strengths and weaknesses of the reports provided by Ecological Designs and Symbiotic Engineering, Gingerich said Valparaiso’s work through the Matchmaker program also provided each company with ideas and information for future improvement.

GRI launched its Matchmaker initiative last year and Gingerich said only a handful of companies have participated so far, but that interest is growing. In addition to Valparaiso, other institutions currently invited to participate are Harvard, Georgetown and Boise State universities in the United States and the University of Calgary in Canada.

This fall, Valparaiso will begin evaluating its second company through GRI, Clean Harbors Environmental Services. The company is North America’s leading provider of environmental and hazardous waste management services, with facilities in 36 U.S. states, Canada, Mexico and Puerto Rico.

Bruce MacLean, director of graduate programs in management at Valparaiso’s College of Business Administration, said he plans to make the GRI Matchmaker program an integral part of the University’s curriculum for master of business administration and master of engineering management students.

“The Matchmaker initiative perfectly aligns with our own emphasis on values-based leadership and environmental stewardship as crucial components of business success,” MacLean said.

Graduate business students will gain experience with sustainability reporting and become familiar with GRI guidelines, he said, knowledge that will benefit them as business leaders.

“From a business perceptive, this is what auditing was supposed to be,” MacLean said. “Companies have traditionally focused only on financial performance, but this type of reporting and evaluation shows how companies make their money and the long-term environmental and social impacts, which is very beneficial for shareholders.”

Valparaiso's assessment of Ecological Designs and Symbiotic Engineering may be read on the Matchmaker program Web site.