Between October 1 to December 31 2007 nearly 800 reports were entered in the inaugural Global Reporting Initiative's 'GRI Readers' Choice Awards'. When the regular scoring period ended on December 31st a short-list of reports was created. The GRI is now inviting readers of sustainability reports to score and comment on this short-list of company reports.

The purpose of this process is to provide an opportunity for sustainability report readers to comment on what they are looking for in such reports, and ultimately provide clearer guidelines to corporations on how they should report on ESG related issues.

Five Asian companies, all from India, have made it on to the short-list. These are: ABN AMRO Bank India, Infosys Technologies, ITC, Jubilant Organosys and Tata Motors.  Overall the list is dominated by banks, brands, regulated companies, and MNCs. It is also quite notable  that no Japanese companies have made it onto the list.

Though the voting process does demand that readers take the time to assess a minimum of two sustainability reports against five key criteria, the process does provide a valuable opportunity to gather and assess a wide range of views on sustainability reporting.

Eight all expenses paid trips to the Amsterdam Global Conference on Sustainability and Transparency held 7 to 9 May 2008 are up for grabs. To have the opportunity to win one of these trips, score at least two sustainability reports for the GRI Readers' Choice Awards. The winners of the all expenses paid trips will hand over the Award to the winners of the GRI Readers' Choice Awards.