Company Announcement - Engineering, management and specialist technical services company, Aurecon, will be hosting a sustainability breakfast event on 3 July, 2015. Corli le Roux, the Johannesburg Stock Exchange’s Sustainability Head, will deliver a keynote presentation at the event. Le Roux says the JSE’s work with issues in the environmental, social and governance space has led to many companies making great strides in terms of applying ESG in business policies, but there are still challenges.

“Given the increasing focus by investors on ESG reporting, coupled with the evolution of integrated reporting, sustainability imperatives need to be considered as mainstream strategic considerations, not only for JSE-listed companies but all companies operating in South Africa,” says le Roux “During my presentation, I will aim to highlight some learnings from our work with the companies in relation to the JSE Socially Responsible Investment Index, as well as some of the recent developments in this sphere, such as the JSE’s announcement on 3 June 2015 that it has partnered with FTSE Russell, the global index provider, in progressing the JSE's work around promoting corporate sustainability practices,” says le Roux. Sonja de Klerk, Head of Quality, Environment & Sustainability at Aurecon, says that the JSE encourages companies to act responsibly and focus on transparency in their reporting, which is a core focus of sustainable businesses.

“This event comes at a time when sustainability reporting, integrated reporting and the triple bottom line impacts of businesses and projects are at the forefront of many of our clients’ minds. Aurecon’s commitment to growing a sustainable business, helping our clients growing sustainable businesses and contributing to a more resilient world means that we have a vested interested in reporting, transparency and accountability. I’m looking forward to networking with our clients at the event and discussing key challenges and trends in the industry,” says de Klerk.

Industry leaders who will be attending the event include financial institutions, property developers, architects, telecommunications companies and utilities in South Africa. In the beginning of 2015, Aurecon became an Organisational Stakeholder of the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI). Through this initiative, Aurecon will contribute to the knowledge, resources, skills and tools that companies need in order to enhance the way in which companies report on their sustainability initiatives. “Aurecon’s dedication to sustainability reporting puts us in the ideal position to partner with clients and enhance the way they are able to enhance their sustainability performance,” says de Klerk.

The event will take place at the Radison Blu Gautrain Hotel in Sandton, Gauteng.