It’s easy to think of reasons not to do whatever needs doing—or to wait for that “goldilocks” moment when everything is just right for a necessary action. Unfortunately, business success almost always favors those who act decisively regardless of anything that might be standing in their way.

Which of the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals align with your sustainability plan?

This is especially true for organizations that need to detail their Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Initiatives. It’s always tempting to downplay the need for timely, meaningful reporting—and never the right answer.

Whether our partners work within agriculture, across the food chain or are structured using an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) model like ours, we encourage each to pay close attention to the importance of ESG reporting. To help, we’ve come up with what we consider to be the five most important verbs, or action words, in sustainability reporting.  They should prove especially helpful when those “just right” moments seem few and far between.

KNOW

(what others are doing)

No one does business in a vacuum—and it’s just as impossible to report meaningfully on your organization’s sustainability initiatives if you’re unaware of what others are doing well (or not so admirably) within the space. This does not mean you should feel compelled to imitate their every action. But it will help you map your own path forward.

PERSEVERE

(in any economic climate or forecast)

Inflation, supply chain issues, recession—the list of economic realities and/or threats provides plenty of reasons to put off till tomorrow the ESG reporting that should be done today. But sustainability has always been about keeping a business economically viable over the short and long term. And your key stakeholders want to know your plans for doing just that.

ALIGN

(with UN SDGs)

Whether you’re just getting started on your sustainability reporting efforts or you’ve been doing it for years, it’s important to look closely at the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) to determine which of them best match your initiatives. It’s something that your stakeholders can, and will, be looking for from you.

DELIVER

(tangible data and results)

Everyone loves a story, and the best sustainability reports typically include compelling narratives about all the good that you’re doing in the world. But it’s just as important to back those stories with tangible metrics and clearly articulated goals. Even if you don’t hit your targets in any given year, your stakeholders will want to know that you’re addressing whatever kept it from happening.

CELEBRATE

(the journey)

It has been said that “the journey is the destination.” This simply means that there’s a palpable excitement and close camaraderie that’s felt among those traveling toward some important goal. Make sure your report doesn’t get so caught up in delivering data that you miss sharing the pure, unbridled joy of getting there together.

The bottom line: Great sustainability reports don’t just happen. They’re the result of decisive actions taken by you and the partner you choose to help you prepare a report that’s both memorable, meaningful and exciting.

What’s nxt?

Our team of subject matter experts focuses on food and agriculture—farm field to processing to entrée on a plate. We also love partnering with other firms structured with an Employee Stock Ownership (ESOP) model like ours. We can help you build a new brand, protect an old one or target customers to foster sales. Let’s talk when the time is right to handle your next strategic marketing and communications challenge: Marcy Tessmann, marcy@co-nxt.com

Published On: June 9th, 2022Categories: CSR and Sustainability

C.O.nxt Insight.

Our team of subject matter experts focuses on food and agriculture—farm field to processing to entrée on a plate. We can help you build a new brand, protect an old one or target customers to foster sales. Let’s talk when the time is right to handle your next strategic marketing and communications challenge: Marcy Tessmann, marcy@co-nxt.com.

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