The main goal behind sustainability reporting is to communicate your sustainability goals and initiatives to various stakeholders i.e. investors, customers, suppliers, employees, and the community at large. But how many people are actually reading these reports? Sustainability disclosures shouldn’t just be about ticking a compliance box. Companies need to ensure that they are actually communicating.
Now, knowing me is knowing that I love studying, A LOT! Over the past few months (well, almost a year now), I have enjoyed studying the GHG Protocol technical guidance reports and various EU regulations. I also love a good novel. I’m currently reading Colleen Hoover’s ‘It Ends With Us’ which is a very sad but really interesting story. That said, I don’t think a lot of people have the patience to sit down and read a long sustainability report. Different stakeholders could be interested in different parts of a sustainability report. Financial providers for example, might care most about the ‘Double Materiality Assessment’ section. Your potential employees could be more drawn to the ‘Social’ section. Even so, one doesn’t have to go through loads of text to just extract the information they want.
This is where my two little friends, Neema and Baraka, come in.
These two, along with their friends, are ready to tell your sustainability story in a simple, engaging way. Think of it as a visual narrative that communicates your goals in 20 minutes or less.
Did you see how Apple’s environmental team communicated their sustainability goals? Very impressive! Octavia Spencer is who she thinks she is! She owned that role remarkably.
However you choose to do it, your sustainability report should be complemented by something short and simple. Something that communicates your goals clearly and effectively. A visual story is a great first step.