“We do so much.” It’s a sentence so many clients tell us when we begin a sustainability reporting project. And it’s a sentence that carries with it a sense of pride – but also the propensity to overwhelm.
‘Sustainability’ is often viewed as a single business area, but in reality it’s an all-encompassing topic that touches almost every part of a business. And while a sustainability report or dedicated section on a website is a chance to bring all this work together, covering all the different elements can read like a list of unrelated activities that underplays the strategic thinking behind your efforts.
To build credibility in your sustainability strategy, it’s important to take the time to shape a story that makes sense. One that explains what you want to achieve and why, and that helps to win buy-in from stakeholders by linking your activities to your company’s vision, mission and values.
The green light – what works in sustainability narratives
When we’re helping clients pin down their efforts through a sustainability narrative, there are some essential ingredients that we’re always looking to get right.
Set up the structure
Sustainability efforts can often feel too far reaching and complex to set out in a clear, simple way, so creating structure is vital for clarity. The aim is to explain why you’ve prioritised certain activities.
If you have a materiality matrix (which sets out the topics that are most important to your stakeholders and business success), you can use this to highlight your priorities. Or you can group activities into categories to show how goals are interlinked and contribute to the bigger picture.
It’s helpful to include visuals to present the strategy in an uncluttered way. In doing so, your written content can go into more detail on explaining your strategic thinking and demonstrating impact.
Add evidence and metrics
Even the most trusting of readers won’t always simply take your word for it. Including targets and clear metrics to demonstrate progress (or even a setback) will show you are taking accountability for your sustainability ambitions. Graphs and infographics can present the numbers clearly and help you engage with audiences who aren’t big readers. Alternatively, if your progress isn’t numbers driven then case studies can be an effective way to convey meaningful impact.
Find the golden thread
A theme that links different activities shows that everything is adding up to a greater whole. De Beers, for example, produces a report titled ‘Building Forever’, telling a story of lasting sustainable impact long beyond diamond discovery.
The golden thread can also come through in individual reports to tie together a year’s efforts. It could hint at investment, forward-thinking, growth, opportunity – any sentiment or unifying theme that captures the mood of the year. Marketing brains getting together are brilliant at finding and finessing this theme.
Expand your reach
A single document, typically a report, brings everything into one place. But it may not be the only place that people are looking for information on your sustainability efforts. By broadening the perimeters of your sustainability communications, you’ll be able to reach more stakeholders.
For instance, a sustainability narrative is an effective way of outlining your vision in a digestible way. By bringing the key pillars of your sustainability strategy together under a coherent statement, you can convey the most important information about your work in just a few sentences, making it ideal for your corporate and sustainability websites.
Lifting stories from the report onto the website or to social media is another simple way of telling more people about the work you’re doing. Regular news updates published across multiple platforms can show you’re constantly working on your efforts before the next report lands.
We see corporate sites evolving in the years ahead, from a place where select stakeholders can find relevant company information to a platform that engages everyone from customers to colleagues.
The cautionary tales
When so much great work is happening in an organisation, it’s very easy for a sustainability narrative to feel grandiose or sentimental. After all, businesses invest a great deal of resources into these efforts – why wouldn’t they want to present them in their best light? But the danger of too much glitter is that people question whether it’s covering up for a not-so-golden truth.
Watch out for greenwashing
And for overclaiming or overstating the truth. Clear language, owning up to challenges and transparent metrics can help you to stay honest – and nothing instils trust like honesty.
Know the boundaries of a report
Trying to squeeze too much into one document can make it unwieldy for a reader (and to manage rounds of internal review!). It’s fine to link to more details elsewhere online.
Keep it concise
Not all of your efforts will fall neatly into a pillar or theme and trying to make it all fit risks diluting the clarity of your narrative. Exercise discipline to make sure it makes sense to your audience and not just internal teams.
Move away from the clichés
When a topic is difficult to explain, there’s a tendency to lean into language that’s familiar to us. But using overused phrases and buzzwords can undermine the credibility of your work. Allow time for a ruthless edit to keep your narrative authentic.
Get support to get it right
An external perspective can offer invaluable guidance for helping your sustainability narrative land well. They can bring insights on your different stakeholders’ perspectives and highlight where more clarity is needed. An expert can also share best practice in sustainability narratives so that yours stands up to well to the competition and diverts your content away from the clichés.
Want to talk to the experts? Get in touch with our team today.
