Posted on 23 June 2011 by Hurol 2 Comments

Taking the CR&S report to a new digital level

Let’s face it, the average Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability (CR&S) report is a lengthy, often dry and formidable document. It may be full of gems, but these get buried in detail. An online PDF version is more ‘searchable’ (and more sustainable) but not necessarily more readable. This article examines the next generation CR&S report, which is not only more enjoyable to research but also more accessible to wider audiences.

These audiences include analysts, customers, prospective and existing employees, investors, environment groups, and wider community groups. Each of these groups wants specific facts and figures, and they want them fast.

Little surprise, then, that the worldwide trend for sustainability reporting is towards dynamic formats. A recent European report, Trends and Best Practice in Online CSR/Sustainability Reporting, stated that:

“A benchmarking study of 53 European companies identified as sustainability leaders suggests that front-runners are increasingly moving into integrating HTML/dynamic web formats into their reporting.”

It’s what we’ve been doing for some clients at Bienalto for a couple of years now. Experience Architect Dipan Shah and Visual Designer Alan Miles lead teams to help our clients transform lengthy reports into highly accessible digital publications. The Stockland CR&S report – which runs to 100+ pages – is one case in point, which we’ll explore further below.

Telling your story in the digital age

Producing a digital CR&S report needs to go much further than simply publishing a PDF online. Even though the book format is acceptable on mobile devices, especially tablets, there are still smarter ways of publishing the information.

“A CR&S report can become a highly engaging and interactive tool that tells the company’s story to a range of different audiences,” says Shah.

“People may want to know what your company does regarding employee wellbeing; others may want to learn about your company’s climate change strategy or your broader commitment to sustainability.”

A digital report can easily cater for all of these audiences. It is designed so that some readers can “dip in and dip out”, while other more detail-oriented readers can explore a particular topic in depth.

Driving the design of the digital report is the idea of “storytelling”. It heralds a shift away from the standardised reporting procedure to a more public-facing, marketing-driven opportunity to engage with audiences through compelling stories.

These stories may be presented as one-liners on the digital report’s landing page, and will often focus on facts and figures. By including a clear “hook”, people are encouraged to explore further by clicking on the link to get more detailed information.

This enhanced usability or “findability” also presents new opportunities for mobile devices. “We ensure that the design of the digital report is adaptable to tablets, because the simple fact is that more and more people will be reading it on these devices,” says Miles.

Stockland draws on worldwide best practice

Shah and Miles have both been closely involved with Stockland in the production of its 2010 and 2011 CR&S reports, and draw upon worldwide best practice to help transform the way information is presented to Stockland’s many audiences.

Features of the Stockland report included:

• Floating snippets, or “nuggets”, of information that display metrics on specific topics e.g. climate change, housing affordability
• Supporting copy behind each nugget to enrich the user’s understanding of a topic
• Links to abridged PDFs for further detail on each topic
• Video content as an alternative hook for users.

Behind the scenes, an interactive base layer that includes a sophisticated publishing mechanism enables Stockland to build upon the report year on year. The team now uses a wiki to collect information, which streamlines the process of transferring it to the website.

Taking it further

According to Miles, going digital also presents opportunities to engage with your audiences on an ongoing basis. “For example, as well as delivering the annual CR&S report, you may be able to deliver continual updates on particular topics of interest,” he says.

“Employee initiatives that crop up throughout the year or monthly measurements of your carbon footprint could be sent to those audiences who have registered interest in these area.”

Such updates would serve to keep the audience connected, up-to-date and engaged – and by the time the next CR&S report comes around they are well informed of your company’s activities.

What do you think?

We welcome your thoughts on how the reporting space is changing on the back of the digital revolution. Please add your comments below.

Or, if you are interested in finding out how Bienalto can help you transform your CR&S report into a dynamic and fresh digital piece, please get in touch.