Glossary: A-C (12 terms)

AA1000

Is an open-access voluntary standard that sets out the requirements for assurance of Sustainability Reports. It was developed to assure the credibility and quality of sustainability performance and reporting.

ASSURANCE

An audit that organisations go through to ensure the credibility and quality of their sustainability reporting.

BASEL II

Also known as the New Basel Capital Accord, this is a set of rules for banks aimed at controlling their credit risk and establishing minimum capital requirements.

BENCHMARKING

Assessing the results achieved by a project against those of other companies serving as a reference.

BIODIVERSITY

Term used to refer to the enormous variety of plant and animal species found on the Earth and the ecosystems in which they interrelate.

BIOENERGY

Renewable energy obtained from biological sources.

CLIMATE CHANGE

The change of climate attributed directly or indirectly to human activity that alters the composition of the global atmosphere above and beyond the climate's natural variation observed over comparable time periods (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change).

CMMI

Model for the assessment and improvement of system and software development and maintenance processes.

CODE OF CONDUCT

A document drawn up voluntarily by an enterprise setting out the principles which it unilaterally undertakes to follow. In some cases, codes of conduct apply to suppliers, subcontractors and third parties as well.

CORPORATE GOVERNANCE

Set of principles that regulate the design, structure and operation of a company’s governing bodies, such as its General Assembly and Board of Directors.

CORPORATE IDENTITY

The set of characteristics, values and beliefs that make up an organisation’s identity and set it apart from the rest.

CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

Corporate social responsibility, above and beyond the strict compliance with prevailing legal obligations, is an organisation's voluntary integration into its governance and management, and into its strategy, policies and procedures, of social, labour, environmental and human rights concerns that arise from a transparent dialogue and dealings with its stakeholders, as a way of standing accountable for the impact of its actions.