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To be practical and effectual (and not simply a statement of environmental policies) environmental reporting should really be developed further along the implementation of the ISO 14000 Series. Additionally, it should be a continuous process, and referred back to again and again in an attempt to consolidate the EMS and effectively analyse the companies' progress. Rice (2005) recommends the following chronology:

This chronology supports the ISO specification that organizations seek continuous improvement: by continually reporting, as opposed to providing a one-off initial report, organizations can repeatedly evaluate and adapt their EMS. In essence, it is important to underline that the CER is a means to environmental improvement and greater accountability, not an end in itself (United Nations Environment Programme, 2005: 1).
Consideration of the variables and application of Sustainable Development
The term 'Sustainable Development' was first used in 1987 in Our Common Future, also known as the Brundtland Report of the United Nations' Commission on Environment and Development (WCED). The definition offered by the Brundtland Report is still the most commonly used today, and describes Sustainable Development simply, and arguably vaguely, as development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs (WCED, 1987: 43). Sustainability is often regarded as the 'buzz-word' of development policy in the 21st Century. Indeed, as The Economist aptly stated: No one in their right mind is against 'sustainable development'. Everyone thinks it would be terrific if there were less poverty, less pollution, less disease, less war, less corruption (2002). As an umbrella-term, its WCED definition has been instrumental in creating a consensus, but less helpful in creating and outlining a framework for its achievement. Currently, there are in the region of 70 different definitions for Sustainable Development, and each allows organizations to interpret the term in whatever way they see fit. For that reason, EMS and Environmental Reporting are especially important for giving public and private organisations alike, from a national to a local level, the standardised framework necessary not just for demonstrating their commitment to the practice of sustainability, but for making progress towards its actual achievement.
As mentioned in the Introduction, economic growth and the environment are often regarded as being at odds, and the ISO 14000 Standards are particularly important for helping organizations and industry to reach their desired level of sustainability, and to incorporate the environment into their general framework. Determining an EMS is an organization's first, and most vital step in establishing what its environmental aspects are, and how it is going to deal with them.