SUSTAINABILITY IN ACCOUNTING – BASIS: A CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK

Abstract

This paper motivation is to introduce a few guidelines of a model in search for aconceptual framework for sustainability reporting. We are presenting the levels of informationreliability witch are derived mainly from accounting conceptual frameworks, and Global ReportingInitiative (GRI) Guidelines. As the study methodology we are using an inductive approach: weanalyze the qualitative characteristics of specific environmental indicators, in order to assess thedegree of relevance and reliability of each particular provision. We will finally make an attempt toderive the objective of sustainability reporting, while evaluating the degree of usefulness of this typeof documents that closely follow the more formalized process of financial reporting. We concludethat there are a number of reasons for not reporting; most of these are related to internal datareliability. Hence, stakeholders cannot distinguish between different types of data unreliability; andthe GRI does little on this matter.Sustainability, Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) Guidelines, conceptual framework, inductiveapproach