More than 90% of the world’s most profitable organizations report their sustainability in some way. Sustainability reports publish information about the company’s economic, environmental, social and legal performance. These reports can be a key factor in highlighting a company’s progress and commitment to sustainability. Here are 5 secrets to making these sustainability reports valuable.
- Pay Attention to Metrics and Accomplishments
Any company can tell a story in reports. Highlighting achievements can strengthen the company’s perceived image to employees and customers, and it’s tempting to put out a report that build these into a story rather than focusing on the facts. But a report describing progress with a narrative and fluff does little for organization efforts. Provide metrics, benchmarkings to previous history, and include industry standards for a clear and reliable assessment. Without hard facts, the report will not have any supporting evidence to its claims.
- Appoint an Executive Reporting Owner and Enforce Consistent Reporting
Communication can be difficult in a large, international company. The official reporting cannot be left to one department or one person. Instead, it should engage multiple departments in the company.
Reporting can require a lot of time and effort, especially when obtaining performance data as support. A Chief Sustainability Officer, if existing, should take charge of the reporting process. If the position does not exist within your company, you should delegate the task to management strong in communicating with other departments. This role requires consistency, and the leader(s) should implement routine reporting, or at least annually.
- Map Report Structure to Requirements
Successful companies define their reporting requirements very explicitly. This technique will smooth the process of reporting and preparing for any last minute challenges. It will eliminate confusion and inconsistency between reports. Overall, a map structure clearly defines what metrics will need to included, and defines qualitative information that will provide sufficient value. Without a clear plan, communication can be disrupted and the end result can be harmed.
- Embrace Deficiencies
Discover your weaknesses and be honest about them. Describe where weaknesses are, the reason behind them, and how the company plans to improve. The idea of continuous improvement is vital for company growth and success. Ignoring a problem or simply “applying a band aid” over the cause is not sufficient and could ruin company reliability in the eyes of the customer.
- Report with the Client and World Viewers in Mind
Some companies focus only on their next process, concerned with the next step in the company flow rather than the end customer. View your reports as products with viewers as the customers. Provide reasoning and understanding for actions or metrics. Write mindfully: think of why you are reporting, why this report will be valuable, and who it will be valuable to.
