This month at Formative we reaffirmed our commitment to the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC), the world’s largest voluntary corporate sustainability initiative.
Doing this reflects how we think about environmental stewardship, social responsibility and community engagement.
While initiatives like the UNGC and our B Corp certification help shape our goals and thinking, they haven't fundamentally altered our day-to-day operations. However, these "badges" serve as important signals to the outside world, demonstrating our commitment to sustainability and helping us communicate what matters to us.
With new legislation like the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive and Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive on the horizon, we're hearing from many clients who want to explore creative ways to communicate their sustainability strategies effectively.
Whether you're just starting on your journey or looking to improve your existing communication, here are five golden rules to follow when sharing your sustainability stories:
1. Keep it clear and engaging
Use simple, jargon-free language that's tailored to your audience. Remember, not everyone is well-versed in sustainability terminology and the formats you use for regulators or the board will be different from how your customers or employees want to receive this information. To make complex data more digestible, lean on visual aids like infographics, charts and videos.
2. Provide context
Don't just present your sustainability data in isolation. Benchmark your performance against industry standards or competitors to give your audience a frame of reference. Show historical trends to illustrate your progress over time, and share future targets to demonstrate your commitment to ongoing improvement. Importantly, be transparent about areas where you're falling short. Discuss your plans to address these challenges – this honesty can build trust and credibility with your audience.
3. Bring your impact to life
Use case studies and real-world examples to illustrate the tangible impact of your sustainability initiatives. These stories can help your audience connect emotionally with your efforts and understand the real-world implications of your work. Whether it's a local community project or a global environmental initiative, concrete examples make your sustainability efforts more relatable and memorable.
4. Ensure data integrity and credible sourcing
The credibility of your sustainability communication hinges on the accuracy and reliability of your data. Always provide clear sources for your information and explain your data collection methods. If you're using estimates or projections, be upfront about this. Consider having your data independently verified to add an extra layer of credibility to your reporting.
Remember, in the age of information overload and AI-generated content, providing verifiable data is more important than ever. It's crucial to use reliable sources for statistics and facts, and to clearly reference them. This not only bolsters the credibility of your claims but also allows your audience to verify the information independently. You’re also demonstrating transparency and a commitment to accuracy, which can significantly enhance trust in your sustainability reporting.
5. Link to Business Strategy
Your sustainability efforts shouldn't exist in a vacuum. Demonstrate how your goals align with and support your overall business strategy. This shows that sustainability isn't just a side project, but a core part of how you do business. Explain how your sustainability initiatives contribute to long-term value creation, risk management and competitive advantage.
Author: Charlotte Edmond
