Sustainability Reporting Process

I help companies leverage reporting as a strategic cycle of continuous improvement. I use a simple 4-stage process that aligns to essential steps common to all reporting projects, which can be adapted to different scopes and budgets for client projects:

Stage One: Roadmap

Compiling the main reporting components and expectations into a clear strategic project plan. An on-boarding questionnaire kick-starts the roadmap creation and defines the project aims. This stage ranges from a simple content outline recommendations to advisory with strategic research elements, depending on the project scope. All recommendations consider the project aims of the client. The roadmap also defines the specific reporting elements to include, such as content indices, case studies, or infographics detailing complex processes.

Stage Two: Gather

With the support of my client’s project lead, I collect all of the information to be used in the report or defining placeholders for forthcoming information. This stage includes developing RFIs for internal subject matter experts, gathering and reviewing business-specific information, conducting SME interviews, and data repositories to integrate the information into the recommendations of the roadmap and identify potential gaps.

Stage Three: Develop

In this stage, I integrate the brand voice to craft the sustainability narrative across the report. I aim to create a cohesive, effective, balanced, and engaging representation of a company’s activities, plans, and strategic approaches. Once a full draft is developed, the client's design team can begin to develop sample report pages to review and approve.

Stage Four: Review

Fine-tuning a report to achieve accuracy and alignment with the project. Through detailed commenting and revision processes, I work with companies to achieve an effective, compelling, and cohesive report. This involves listening and engaging across up to 3 rounds of revision and a final proofread. Designers can develop a full draft after the second or third drafts. This stage and the project ends with the final board- or executive-level review and approval of the report.

Approximate project timeline

• 4 months without assurance before publication

• 6 months with limited assurance for CSRD reports

• 6 months for inaugural reports

Reporting Project Options

I offer three pricing tiers within each proposal that include a variety of the following elements across each stage to meet the scope and budget requirements of a project.

Roadmap

• Onboarding questionnaire defining project aims

• Desk research into client documentation and brand

• Strategic trend analysis and peer benchmarking

• Key message development

• Gap assessment keyed to target reporting level

• Progression roadmap for future reporting years

• Content outline with recommendations

Gather

• RFI creation and stakeholder interviews

• Collect additional materials: policies, data, press releases, and past reports, among others

• Review the materials and establish optimal report placement

• Define data or disclosure gaps

Develop

• Strategic theme and narrative development

• Case study and stories development

• Integration of design development

Review

• Collaborative commenting and draft update intervals to improve the accuracy and effectiveness of the draft

• Progressive revision rounds aligned to internal controls, governance, and/or assurance processes

• Full typeset of the designed draft

• Final proofreading of the design draft

• Final board-level report approval

Effective Communication and Workflows

Satisfying my clients’ needs for effective, brand-aligned, strategic communications is a priority throughout my work. I also prioritize the importance of optimizing reports for the target audiences and improving workflows to minimize hiccups during the busy reporting season.

• Brand voice and messaging: Developing a report aligned to a company’s brand voice and identity is essential to effective disclosures and strategic narratives. I use companies existing reported information, communications approach and brand voice guidelines to integrate an appropriate tone for the report and its key audiences.

• Strategic disclosure: As most companies know, disclosure is an art, not a science. I work with companies to promote information-rich transparency into their sustainability activities. I always treat my clients as the experts of their own business strategy, while offering insights into stakeholder, investor and regulatory expectations as needed. My strong expertise related to a wide range of reporting standards and frameworks supports my ability to refine disclosures.

• User-focused reports: I focus on ways to present information that streamlines the reading process and engages readers.

• Project optimization: ESG report writing is a collaborative process requiring significant coordination with designers and sustainability leadership teams. I work effectively with an organization’s key team members to meet internal deadlines and goals, including project management and scheduling to drive timely project completion.

👉 Schedule a discovery call to learn about my rates and process.