For many businesses in Australia and internationally, sustainability reporting is already a crucial element in the communications mix. As both a record of credentials and a powerful marketing tool, a high-quality sustainability report is fast becoming more than a luxury for progressive – and competitive – organisations.

One critical consideration for those communicating this aspect of their business is that sustainability reports speak to a very broad audience. As KPMG point out in their 2008 guide ‘Sustainability Reporting’, the potential stakeholders addressed by these reports range from customers and employees right through to rating agencies, policymakers and the general community. Used in the right way, sustainability reporting can strengthen your external credibility, galvanise your workforce and contribute to a strong company culture – all of which help to build a sustainable brand (in every sense).

Therefore, it is imperative that your sustainability report gets to the people you want it to, gets their attention, and gets the right messages across.

To reach that point, the first step – no surprises here – is to make sure you have your communications strategy nailed down. The areas to consider at this stage include:

• Regulatory requirements: what do people need to know?
• Investor and other stakeholder relations: what do people want to know?
• Strategic alignment: how do you ensure that what you say is consistent with your broader business objectives?
• Engagement: where do you say it and to whom?

Your channels of engagement are important. As with other corporate reporting, print is the dominant format for sustainability reporting, but many organisations are now complementing their printed reports with other communication initiatives in order to broaden their stakeholder engagement. Online versions of sustainability reports are gaining in popularity, in part because they offer greater potential for two-way communication with audiences. And it is not uncommon for companies to take advantage of other opportunities such as AGMs and media releases to communicate their sustainability reporting.

Once you know what you’re going to say and to whom, the next challenge is how you’re going to say it. In this respect, a sustainability report is much like any other form of communication: great material doesn’t guarantee a great reception. (And let’s face it – crowds don’t come much tougher than a mix of investors, regulators, customers and employees.) So delivery counts. But how do you craft your message so that it:

• Appeals to a broad audience?
• Ticks all the regulatory boxes?
• Upholds your organisational values?
• And, after all that, builds your brand?

Well, it’s not impossible, but it takes care – and a bit of flair. Chris Raybould discusses some of the ways to achieve it here.

Ryan Wallman is a Senior Writer at WellmarkPerspexa, a business-to-business communications agency with years of experience in delivering award-winning investor communications.

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