ESG Report Gets More Depth, Improves Readability with New Approach
Our team met an aggressive deadline to re-imagine how our client reported its ESG progress, using storytelling to make it a compelling read for its diverse stakeholders.
Report Writing
ESG Report
Storytelling Techniques
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The Client
The Problem Statement
As a publicly listed company, our client takes its Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) commitments seriously. The company’s leadership wanted to change the way its annual ESG report was presented.
The report would go beyond the statutory requirements and be a comprehensive document for its diverse stakeholders on all ESG-related programs and policies. To improve readability, the company wanted to build an engaging and relatable narrative around its programs with a sprinkling of storytelling.
What We Did: The Scope
As a content partner, Purple Iris Communications undertook the project to re-imagine how the company’s ESG data, internal programs, and policies were presented. The primary objective was to tie the ESG report to the company’s vision, culture, and impact across the three ESG pillars. The project involved:
- A competitor analysis of ESG reporting and understanding the expectations of internal stakeholders through intensive brainstorming
- Selection of a theme that reflected the client’s vision and values around ESG
- Reorganizing content flow to fit the theme and storyline
- Completing the project within six weeks–converting raw files into engrossing copy, complete with context setting and impact stories
How We Did it: The Approach
- Conducted discussions with internal stakeholders including the General Counsel to understand expectations
- Analysed ESG reports of industry peers to understand gaps, trends and improvement areas
- Presented the findings including potential themes to the client
- Collaborated with legal, HR and internal communications teams to identify topics and impact stories that fit the theme
Set up a process aimed at:
- Quick turnaround of chapters
- Brainstorming and sharing of ideas on the go
- Quality control (fact checks, language checks and tone and style consistency)
- Organised a team of four writers/editors
- Conducted secondary research to beef up content
- First round of editing included peer review and supervisor review
- Second round of editing included incorporating client feedback and additional inputs
- Proofread the document after completion of layout design to check for language misses and errors in the layout and flow
The Value We Delivered
Key Highlights:
- Reorganized, rewrote, and edited a 32,000-word document of 12 chapters in six weeks
- Conducted three rounds of editing and two rounds of proofreading to deliver a zero-error report of 150 pages
- Collaborated with the client to brainstorm, address issues, offer advice, and implement best practices
- Led the project and provided proactive support to take the load off the client’s in-house teams so they could focus on other priorities
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