1. A tight materiality assessment is key to an efficient reporting process
Be confident in your materiality assessment and use focused topic definitions – move on from ‘everything and the kitchen sink’ going into the report; focus on truly material topics, there might really only be three or four topics.
Investors tend to know if “the basics” e.g. health and safety, waste, water use, DEI, community investment, are sorted, so don’t major on them. And remember, many investors often do their own assessments of companies.
2. Don’t be afraid to cover the reporting ‘balance’ principle
Boost credibility and apply the ‘balance’ principle when discussing operational challenges, data problems and incidents. Don’t bury bad news. It’s easier to do this for standalone sustainability reports (compared to sustainability reporting in annual reports).
3. A digital-first approach improves communication and process efficiency, while future-proofing your reporting
Going digital first can help you to future-proof your report against new regulatory requirements, such as iXBRL tagging associated with CSRD, while offering all the benefits of digital such as improved interactivity and accessibility.
Animating graphics helps to bring complex content to life in a way that it is harder to do on a static PDF. With digital first we can easily integrate video to add depth and impact, as we did with Corteva’s 2024 Impact report.
