So, your organisation has asked you to write their first sustainability report. Welcome to the support group! Kidding aside, drafting your first sustainability report can be an overwhelming task and after writing a bunch of them myself, here are my key tips for navigating the process and keeping your sanity.

1. Underestimating the time required to produce a sustainability report.

One of the biggest mistakes companies make when embarking on their first sustainability report is underestimating just how long they take to produce. Those who have produced an annual report before may be able to venture a guess.

Most sustainability reporting processes reflect a cycle - meaning that they follow a process of planning, consulting, implementing, measuring, reporting, reflecting, and then improving the plan for next year. Then the cycle continues.

There will be tasks related to sustainability reporting that occur throughout the year. These activities will include undertaking materiality (AKA scoping the topics for the next report), conducting stakeholder surveys, collecting case studies and data for disclosure, updating progress against the sustainability strategy, drafting the report, obtaining third party assurance, and designing your publication. It is essential to scope the time and resources required to successfully complete each element of a sustainability report.

Many tasks associated with sustainability reporting will also involve different groups from within the business. These will include the Board or executives, business unit heads, community partners and key external stakeholders, and those collecting data across the business. You will need to notify these groups of their level of involvement, the input your require from them, and the timing so that they are able to make themselves available around their day to day activities.

Depending on (a) the size of your organisation, (b) the quality of your data management systems, (c) the proficiency of your sustainability team, and (d) the availability of key internal and external stakeholders, the bulk of the sustainability report process will take between 4 to 6 months.

2. Not identifying your target audience.

Your target audience will play a large role in the content you choose to include in your sustainability report. Writing for investors and analysts is very different to writing for communities. In the last 2-3 years, there has been a shift from narrative-based, community-focused sustainability reporting to data-driven disclosure aimed at the investment community. This change stems from the shift in the target audience for large (mostly listed) companies who are aiming to improve their sustainability scores from analysts, attract investor interest, and improve data comparability.

However, companies starting their reporting journey will need to have an understanding of who they want to inform about their sustainability activities. Understanding who will be reading your report will determine the:

• Amount of information - Do they prefer short, punchy information? Do they want highly detailed and data-driven disclosure? Do they want to see stories and case studies about your sustainability projects?

• Tone and language - Do they prefer straightforward, factual statements or are they looking to be taken on a journey? What level of literacy does your target audience have? Are you catering to more than one language?

• Design (including layout, images and graphics) - Does your audience want graphics to simplify your activities and concepts? Do you need to add icons to highlight important data? What images will relate to your audience and help convey your message? Does your audience prefer tables and charts?

• Medium of communication - Will your audience even read a document or would they prefer an interactive online report? What online platforms are they most likely to see your data published on? Do they prefer to consume content on their computer or mobile device? Do they have access to the internet or will they need hard copies delivered?

By catering to your target audience, you will not only narrow down the scope and appearance of your report, but ensure the whole exercise meets its core purpose - making sure the people that matter to your business know about all the great work you're doing.

3. Having poor data collection processes.

When it comes to data collection there is one phrase that comes to mind - "rubbish in, rubbish out". If you don't want to invest time into setting up functional and accurate data systems don't bother trying to write a sustainability report (you'll understand once you go through your first assurance process).

There is also no point having great systems in place if your people (a) don't know how to use them; or (b) default to manual processes because they're too complicated; or (c) aren't strict about saving their records. Before disclosing any data publicly, organisations must build data collection processes and systems that allow their people to consistently record accurate information.

An ideal data collection process would look something like this:

1. Source data is captured (field sheet/invoice/meter reading)

2. Save evidence in central register

3. Add results to software or spreadsheet

4. Add monthly or annual totals to sustainability report data tables

5. Auditor reviews reported numbers, software/spreadsheet, storage location, and source data

6. Assurance process is complete and certification provided (success!)

Having this process set up from the start will save your organisation (and your auditor) time and prevent migraines caused by trawling through a year's worth of data to find the correct information.

If you have questions about sustainability report writing, don't hesitate to reach out to one of our specialists for a free consult call.