How to breathe life into your sustainability writing.

When was the last time you were truly inspired?

Chances are, it wasn’t while reading a corporate ESG report. And that’s unfortunate, because organizations all over the world are doing remarkable things on the environmental, social, and governance (ESG) fronts. They’re just not telling their stories in a compelling way. And some aren’t telling their stories at all.

Too often, these reports are data-filled tropes that meet all the reporting requirements and check off the important GRI, SASB, TCFD, and UNSDG standard boxes. (If those acronyms don’t mean anything to you, you’re not alone.)  But they often leave out the human element, the “why” behind what they’re doing, and the impact their actions are having.

Yet those are the stories that inspire us and compel us to learn more.

Having written several ESG and sustainability reports, I admit it’s not always easy to unearth the inspiring stories. But it’s always worth it. Take, for example, the year I had to trudge through six inches of mud and cow manure to see a biodigester in action. That’s how I learned that some Tillamook dairies were capturing methane from cow manure and converting it into energy that powers homes in their community. Talk about turning a huge, stinking mess into something useful. Plus, it’s helping to reduce the 37% of global methane emissions that comes from cows.

Another year, I gained a whole new appreciation for my cup of joe in the morning after learning how investing in coffee-growing communities has led to more climate-resistant coffee varietals, more farmers making a living wage, and more women becoming financially empowered.

Stories like these make the topic of ESG more relatable. More compelling. More human. When we learn how a company is positively impacting their employees, their communities, and our planet, when they put real faces and places to their work, they really do give us hope in a world that’s too often filled with doom and gloom.

In the six years I’ve been writing about sustainability, I’ve worked to infuse life and humanity into the narratives by showcasing the meaningful stories, focusing on the people and communities being impacted, and finding the why behind the work. So, with six years come six tips:

Find the why.

Why are you doing this? Why did this happen? Why is it a big deal? Don’t just list what you did—talk about the why behind your actions. Share what led to this specific action or goal—and what you hope to achieve. Bring in the impact of acting—or not acting. And focus on the good it will do. Because that’s how you make people care.

Speak in human terms, to all audiences.

One of the biggest challenges of ESG writing is that you often have multiple audiences, ranging from the jargon-friendly sustainability insiders to potential employees. The trick is to make your report understandable to your least technical audience, while not being too simplistic for those who are looking for very specific and detailed information.

At Write On, we aim for a healthy mix of storytelling that appeals to all audiences, combined with the right number of metrics, graphics, and material topics to support it. Rather than jamming all the mandatory reporting and governance structures into the narrative, we focus on the big stories, and then link to an appendix or a material issue brief for the nitty gritty.

Be specific. 

Try to avoid empty terms and sustainability cliches, like “we’re committed to a better tomorrow.” Say exactly what that means to your brand, whether it’s “net zero emissions by 2030,” “1,000,000 people trained,” or whatever your specific goal is. Vague language like “growing a better community” sounds like everyone else—and it doesn’t mean much. But “making digital education free to underrepresented groups” does. As does “planting 3,000 native seedlings that, when mature, will help manage runoff from agriculture into the surrounding lakes and rivers.”

Tell a variety of stories.

Thought-provoking and human stories make people care about ESG. Cow manure being turned into energy is interesting! And stories about how employees are stepping up for their communities—like those at ServiceNow who created an app on their own time to match Ukrainian refugees with American sponsors—are truly inspiring.

Weave these stories in with your goals, initiatives, and actions taken over the past year. Share how employees rallied together. How individuals or communities benefited. How investments are making a real impact. Use real people and quotes wherever possible—especially from employees or the beneficiaries of the work.

Tell the whole story.

Be sure to tell all sides of your ESG story. You don’t want to paint an unrealistically rosy picture, or you’ll come off as disingenuous, or worse, greenwashing. ESG is hard work, and you can’t expect to easily achieve everything you set out to. Talk about evolving goals, ongoing challenges, areas where you’re still falling short, and what’s being done to remedy them.

Weave ESG into all your communications.

ESG writing often suggests year-end reports. But your report doesn’t have to do all the heavy lifting. There are so many other ways to get your messaging out there—many of which are accessible to more people. Build a rich ESG web page or microsite, where your stories can really shine. Create infographics with easily digestible information. Add ESG to your social posts—across all platforms. And have your executives evangelize your work through speaking engagements and their own social posts. These are all important components of ESG communications, and places where you can infuse humanity into your efforts.

Good ESG writing inspires us all.

Effective ESG writing, whether in a year-end report, on a website, or in a LinkedIn post, shares human stories of achievement. It brings a brand’s aspirations to life. And its show us that there are companies out there trying to do good in our world. And that’s something we could all use a lot more of.