Creating a Compelling and Authentic Impact Report
Clear, thoughtful and transparent communication plays a vital role in becoming a more sustainable business. It’s not just about what you do, but how you share it both internally and externally to build understanding, trust and momentum. When done well, communications can be a powerful part of your sustainability strategy and journey. An Impact Report is one of the most effective tools for bringing this to life: articulating the positive changes you’re making for people and the planet, being honest about the challenges you’ve faced, and sharing the lessons you’re learning along the way.
Why Write One?
For some companies, like B Corps, an impact report is a formal requirement. But even if it’s not mandatory, it’s an incredibly valuable exercise to undertake. Crafting an annual report allows you to:
Reflect on your performance against your sustainability goals
Maintain accountability – reporting each year keeps you focused and motivated
Identify what’s working and what isn’t - celebrating the wins
Inform future planning and decision-making
Share progress internally and empower your team
Communicate externally to engage your suppliers and attract investment
Build brand value
Ultimately, it keeps your sustainability journey on track, helping you to stay aligned to your strategy and commitments, while adapting to changes both internally to your business and externally.
Where to Start
Writing an Impact Report can often feel overwhelming at first, so it’s best to start simple.
At B·ABLE, we find the best place to begin is usually sitting down and revisiting the sustainability goals and commitments you set out to achieve at the start of the year. For each goal, write down the steps you took, what you actually delivered, and where you stand today, being clear about which goals were met, which are still in progress, and which didn’t go quite as planned.
Once you’ve got a clear summary of your progress, pull together the relevant data to support your narrative. Data is crucial for backing up your story and is vital to maintaining transparency and credibility. Ideally, your goals are SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound), as this will make it easier to measure and clearly communicate your progress and outcomes.
Aim to be as transparent as possible in sharing your results. Along the way, ask questions like: Did our actions have the desired impact? Were there any unexpected outcomes? Did a business decision shift the direction of a goal?
Once you’ve documented this information and gathered your data, you have the basic framework of your report.
One of the reports we prepared for our client – OKA’s 2024 Sustainability Report provides an example of this approach in action. Towards the beginning of their report, they provide a top-level summary of their long-term 2030 goals, along with a short summary of the actions taken that year, with supporting data. This snapshot gives readers an immediate sense of progress, which they then explore in greater detail later in the report.
Bringing it to Life
Once you’ve laid the foundations of what you intended to do and what you achieved, it’s time to build in context, meaning, and storytelling.
Focus on emphasising the impact you have made, speaking to what has changed as a result of your actions, what benefits have been delivered, and what challenges or lessons you’ve learned along the way.
Acknowledging what didn’t go to plan is just as important as celebrating successes. Sustainability is a continuous process, not a straight line, and transparency about setbacks builds credibility and helps avoid greenwashing. For example, perhaps an initiative wasn’t viable, or a supplier change created unforeseen delays. Sharing these realities shows integrity and a genuine commitment to improvement.
Storytelling plays a crucial role in effective impact reporting. Data tells your audience what happened, while stories explain why it matters. Using elements like case studies to showcase real examples of your work in action is a great way to bring your achievements to life.
Your report should also reflect your brand identity. Align the tone, design, and format with your broader communications so it feels like a natural extension of your brand story. Include elements that make it human and relatable: photos of your team, partner testimonials, or quotes from employees, suppliers, or charity partners.
A great example of this is Matrix Brand’s Impact Report, which brings their strategy to life by spotlighting the people behind the progress. The report showcases the teams driving change involved, alongside leadership quotes and team photos, illustrating how sustainability is embedded in their culture and daily operations. This human element gives the report warmth, and authenticity.
By weaving in these voices and experiences, you create a report that not only informs but inspires — giving stakeholders a realistic, engaging picture of your progress and your purpose.
What to Include
An Impact Report should be a true reflection of your brand – its voice, values, and visual identity. There’s no one-size-fits-all approach, but most follow a similar structure that helps readers easily navigate and understand your story.
Klyk’s 2023 Impact Report is an example of a report infused with personality and authenticity. As a business built around tackling an environmental challenge, it clearly articulates both its mission and the problem it seeks to solve. A section dedicated to the issue of e-waste grounds its work in real-world context and purpose.
An Impact Report often opens with practical elements like a contents page and a leadership message to set the tone and provide orientation. This is typically followed by a snapshot of key achievements to give readers a quick overview before moving into the brand story and sustainability strategy. The main body might explore progress against goals and impact pillars, supported by examples or case studies that bring the work to life. Toward the end, a forward-looking section can outline ambitions and next steps, offering a sense of direction and continuity.
Depending on your business and reporting approach, you might also want to think about including sections on:
B Corp Certification – If applicable, share your certification story and highlight areas of focus from your B Impact Assessment.
Alignment with Frameworks – Reference any standards you’ve aligned with, such as the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), or other reporting frameworks.
Materiality Assessment – If you’ve conducted a materiality assessment, summarise your key findings and explain how they’ve shaped your strategy.
Governance and Risk Management – Share how sustainability is governed, including decision-making and accountability structures.
Maximising the Value of Your Impact Report
Once your report is published, don’t let it sit on a digital shelf. It’s a powerful tool that can engage stakeholders, inspire your people, and strengthen your reputation. Think of it as the centrepiece of your sustainability storytelling for the year.
Share it internally — through lunch and learn sessions, staff meetings, or onboarding materials — to build awareness and ownership among your team. Externally, share it with clients, partners, and suppliers, or feature highlights on your website and social channels to demonstrate transparency and impact.
When used proactively, your impact report can become one of your most valuable assets for building trust, accountability, and momentum across your sustainability journey.
Your Comms Partner
We know that impact reporting can feel time-consuming and resource-heavy, often competing with the day-to-day work of actually delivering change.
That’s where we can help. At B·ABLE, we work with you to shape impact reports that clearly and credibly bring your sustainability journey to life and reflects your progress, your purpose and the reality of where you are today, all in a way that feels true to your brand.
We take on the heavy lifting and the complexity, so you can stay focused on driving real impact within your business.
If this sounds helpful, we’d love to have a conversation – get in touch at hello@bable.world.