8 Tips For Writing An Impactful Impact Report
What is an impact report?
An impact report is a (usually) yearly publication that narrates the journey of your organisation’s people and planet-oriented actions. It goes beyond numbers to showcase the meaningful changes that have been achieved against your targets.
Why write an impact report?
For some, like registered B Corps, impact reports are a requirement. But even if it’s not mandatory, impact reports are a useful tool for companies to explain their vision and to drive improvements year on year.
There are other perks to impact reporting too:
Accountability: they help keep your business on track
Performance evaluation: they allow you to review what’s working and what’s not
Employee morale: they boost team spirit and are a way of involving employees with your plans
Future planning: they help guide your next steps
Stakeholder trust: they build confidence & engagement
For us, the real magic of writing an annual impact report is its power to drive accountability. Let’s face it, if you know you’ll be reporting publicly each year, you’ll strive to achieve actions worthy of bragging about!
The challenges of impact reporting
Sure, it can be time-consuming and resource-intensive. Sometimes it might feel like you’re focusing more time on reporting than acting. And yes, done poorly, it could lead to greenwashing accusations (which is why our clients ask us to help write theirs). If you are going to go it alone, then with careful planning, good data and our handy tips below, your impact report can deliver great value.
Our tips for writing a great impact report
1. Make your initial targets clear
Outline your initial goals and the actions you planned to achieve them. Clear targets set the stage for a compelling story. Your original targets should be quantifiable and have a set timeframe: e.g “We aimed to reduce absolute Scope 1 emissions by 10% in the last year”. This is an area where a lot of impact reports are lacking - perhaps because they haven’t yet set short term targets.
2. Report on your performance against those targets
Share whether you hit your targets. Transparency is key here.
What have you done to date?
Did this have the desired outcome you hoped it would?
Share with data, any big claims should have the numbers to back it up.
3. Add context
Most people won’t know your world as well as you do. If you reduced waste to landfill by 12 tonnes, let them know how much this is as a percentage of all your waste and how this compares to competitors. Toast’s 2023 report is one of the best for setting the context of their work and achievements.
4. Focus on impact!
It sounds obvious, but so many reports focus on the action taken, forgetting about the impact. Highlight the effects of your actions. What changed? Were there benefits or unexpected outcomes? Share it all! Finisterre documents the effect of their takeback and resale programme well in their 2023 report (page32).
5. Don’t ignore what didn’t go well
Often companies focus solely on the positives and (conveniently) forget to mention what didn’t get done or go according to plan. Be honest about the hiccups and challenges. It builds trust and helps you reflect and improve. Vivobarefoot has a great example in their 2023 report with their ‘Fantastic Failures’ page (page 9).
6. Bring examples to life
Make it personal. Include stories from your team, collaborators, suppliers and customers. Real stories create a deeper connection. Ecologi does this well on page 9 of their 2023 report.
7. Keep it short
Too many impact reports are too long. For most businesses anything over 30 pages should start to encourage the team to cut the word count down. Remember a large percentage of your audience will just flick through it.
8. Write about what’s next
Set new targets and outline your plan to achieve them. Avoid greenwashing by being specific about your future actions. The Shambala Festival Green Road Map is a great example of this.
Examples of great impact reports
Some of our favourite impact reports include:
Trek Bikes (2023): They kick things off with a “full-scale emissions audit” and build their strategy from there. Their honesty about successes and areas for improvement is very refreshing.
Google: Their transparency around the changes to their Scope 3 reporting is impressive.
Intrepid 2023: An excellent integrated annual report covering governance, financials and sustainability.
Kuoni 2023*: Focuses on People, Product and Planet with a clear plan to achieve their targets.
*Full disclosure - ecollective helped Kuoni calculate their carbon footprint and worked on the copy for their report.
Extra resources
Impact-reporting.com, a general repository of impact reports
Impact report reviews by Keartland & Co Hannah Keartland’s reviews provide valuable insights.
Need help with your impact report or carbon footprint?
ecollective can help you produce a detailed emissions breakdown, set realistic targets and identify key reduction strategies. We offer impact report copywriting or proofreading support to ensure your report is accurate, engaging and free from greenwashing risks too.
