Transparency never looked so good.

When done well, ESG reporting can help your firm shine and attract the right kind of attention.

Demonstrate your commitment with ESG reporting.

Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) reporting is your way to show investors, consumers, and the markets your dedication to sustainable practices that yield results. While still only a voluntary measure, proper ESG reporting provides additional information about corporate transparency and accountability stakeholders are beginning to demand more and more. However, there are several issues to consider when taking on ESG reporting.

"Nearly 62% of Gen Z consumers want to buy from sustainable brands while 76% of Millennials want employers to have a sustainability plan."

Regulations Are Coming.

Recently, the SEC proposed rules to enhance and standardize climate-related disclosures for investors to help curb potential misrepresentation among some scrupulous self-reporting corporations. SEC regulations are in the works and access to capital may be seriously restricted if corporations don’t adhere to their standards. To prepare for these regulations before they are completed, review and set guidance in place according to the proposals set forth by the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB): S1 and S2.

Why ESG reporting must be done properly

As the documentation side of an ESG strategy, ESG reporting provides important information for several different reasons.

Transparency

With transparency comes accountability, a crucial component to showing commitment to standards that are not always easy to maintain. Public companies willing to reveal the steps they’re truthfully taking often goes a long way to opening doors for capital and building real solutions to fix global problems.

Investors and Lenders

Potential investors and financiers will often use ESG reporting to assess risk and determine the direction of future performance. In some instances, capital sources may avoid publicly traded companies with no ESG solutions or reporting due to a lack of visibility into their efforts to meet emerging standards.

Increased Demand

Changes in generational demand for companies who adhere to ESG standards will drive the need for better reporting. For instance, Gen Z now have a strong desire to support sustainable retail in an effort to offset climate change that will impact them later in life. A December 2019 consumer spending study found that nearly 62% of Gen Z consumers want to buy from sustainable brands while 76% of Millennials want to work for an employer with a sustainability plan in place.

Steps for Reporting Your ESG Commitment

Once your firm is committed to developing and designing an ESG report, consider these five steps to make the information easily available to interested parties:

Define your goals for reporting – Every public company disclosing this information has a reason to do so. Do you want to strengthen your corporate image, attract the right kind of employee, or court capital?
Determine your audience – Once you have defined your goals and who they apply to, design your strategy around speaking to what is most important to them. The audience should always be at the top of mind when developing your strategy and focusing on them will help steam line the process.
Identify and collect relevant ESG data – It is important to understand how your commitments will impact your organization and its operations. ESG commitments must align with corporate capabilities and beliefs to maximize their impacts. After these are determined, evaluate how data will be collected. While some metrics will be statistics and figures, some reporting should consist of narratives regarding the steps taken and the outcomes.
Decide on the frequency of reporting – Different commitments will require different data gathering periods and help determine the frequency for reporting. Data should not be rushed in order to fit quarterly or annual cycles as this will help preserve data accuracy and transparency.
Determine how to display you ESG results – Ease of access to investors and lenders seeking your commitments and results is incredibly important. Offering your ESG strategy through standalone reports and dedicated pages with dashboards on your website are some of the most efficient ways to reach your target audience.

Growth Squad ESG Reporting and Marketing Services

When the results are in and you’re ready to share your report, Growth Squad can help create the right look and feel that your hard work deserves. Our expert team of graphic designers, web designers, and developers can turn your rough start into a fine finish. Whether you want a well-designed standalone report or a fluid website design, Growth Squad can help. And when the report is live and online, our experts can help put together a digital marketing strategy to let the world know what you’ve accomplished. Contact us today!

Ready to Report?

You’ve done the hard work: data collection, checking, re-checking, and checking again. Let us take it from here and give your work the pedestal it deserves.