Sustainability in the Boardroom: A 2013 Update

Based on the results of a survey of 359 SEC-registered business corporations administered by The Conference Board in collaboration with NASDAQ, companies take different approaches to assigning responsibility for sustainability oversight. Forty percent or more of manufacturing and nonfinancial companies contemplate that the board of directors should assume and perform such responsibilities. An analysis by company size shows an inverse, albeit not strict, correlation between the full board performing sustainability oversight and the size of the company in terms of annual revenue. As for sustainability items placed on the board agenda, issues related to environmental impact are the most common.