In-Person Training
Sustainability reporting is continually evolving and an important component of business communications and external engagement. From regulatory reporting through to voluntary disclosures, this practically focused course for business introduces how to get started with sustainability reporting and how to elevate your existing approaches.
You’ll be introduced to the current regulatory reporting needs for your business according to your audience and stakeholders and then how to approach, design and structure your report. You’ll understand the resources needed, where to find them and how to create effective and impactful outputs. You’ll also learn key techniques for bringing your reports to life through storytelling and introducing sustainability into the creative and production processes.
Who is this for?
- Managers and leaders needing help with how to get started with or improve on their existing sustainability reporting.
- Investor relations, marketing and communications teams seeking to build in sustainability into annual reports, or to create their first stand-alone report.
- Sustainability professionals new to or unfamiliar with sustainability reporting, communications and disclosures.
Learning Outcomes
- An effective overview of the benefits of sustainability reports, their role in business, the regulatory position and what’s needed to prepare future resilient reports and disclosures.
- How to prepare for reporting, covering audience, purpose, structure, content, sustainability claims, greenwashing and resources to get started.
- How to bring reports and key messages to life and with impact through effective storytelling and positioning. You’ll also learn how sustainability interacts with the design and publication process.
Includes
- Delivery in-person at your facilities
- 7 Modules
- 2 Group exercises
- Time: 1 working day
Pricing
£450* per person
Minimum 4, maximum 12 attendees.
Discounts and adjusted prices are available for over 8 attendees and less than 4 attendees.
* Travel costs are included for delivery within a 2 hour (each way) travel time.
Other requirements e.g. national-international travel / overnights may incur additional cost depending on need. Full terms, conditions and pricing will be included in the training quotes issued.
Modules
1. Why Disclose?
In this introductory module, you’ll learn how sustainability reporting benefits an organisation, the background and trends, differences between ESG and sustainability reporting, mandatory and voluntary disclosures and common styles through examples.
2. Regulations, Standards & Frameworks(T)
In this module, you’ll be introduced to the latest regulations, standards and frameworks used for sustainability reporting across Europe, the UK and further afield. This overview will provide a solid understanding of the complexity and range of methods available to corporate reporters, including insight into recent and incoming regulatory changes.
3. Effective Disclosure(T)
In this module, we’ll explore how to tailor your report to your audience and the importance of defining purpose. You’ll learn about effective data collection, digital platforms, available resources, report structure, content and transparency.
4. Making Sustainability Claims(T)
In this module, you’ll learn about reporting needs versus desires, impacts and outcomes, how to avoid greenwash through effective communication and the regulatory and reputational implications of getting it wrong.
5. Bring Your Story to Life
In this module, you’ll learn how to prepare your key messages, link purpose and value and delight audiences through effective storytelling with impact.
6. Sustainability Marketing & Design
In this module, you’ll be introduced to the core elements that go into successful sustainability report creation and effective communications. You’ll cover how sustainability interacts with design and production, media and materials, branding and value, engagement, promotion and public relations.
7. Tips for Future Reporting(T)
In this final module, we’ll cover the core considerations for future reporting, providing tips and shortcuts to resources that will keep you positioned well for success.
Key:
Tailored Modules(T) will be developed in partnership with you, ensuring the course is more closely matched to your business. This helps deliver more immediate impact and value in the workplace.
Instructor
Matt Farnsworth
Matt is the founder and director of Pitchstone Consulting and for close to 30 years has been a well-respected strategic management leader, advisor, technical expert and pragmatic solution finder to large and small companies on environmental and social sustainability and ESG.
As a professionally qualified environmental scientist with C-Suite experience and a keen strategic and commercial business mind, he relishes working with forward-thinking and impactful businesses across all sectors.
Quickly getting to grips with a business or project; preparing for the future; anticipating sustainability trends; setting direction and firm foundations with hands-on support; delivering with clear purpose and messaging; and helping business become more resilient are his strong points.
Through his lived-in and third party work he has advised several hundred businesses and their financial partners on sustainability and ESG matters, often at the interplay between business growth, value creation, financing risk and stock listing.
A holder of both CFA certificates in Sustainable Investing and Climate and Investing, he was a long-term trusted ESG advisor to a major UK banking group and was a founder and chair of the Corporate Transactions Working Group, delivered through the UK Environmental Law Association (UKELA).
Matt is an experienced coach, speaker and active listener, having spoken at, moderated or hosted event workshops, AGMs, roundtables and seminars on a range of topics spanning corporate sustainability, business, investment and finance.
He currently is a Fellow of the Institute of Sustainability & Environmental Professionals (ISEP) and Chartered Environmentalist (SocEnv) and also spent many years has a European / Chartered Geologist and Fellow of the Geological Society.
Over his career he has written numerous thought leadership articles and content, including having featured in: The Times Newspaper, Real Deals, Accountancy Age, HR Magazine, FMJ, Coast and Carve.
Our Approach to Training
Social Good
Pitchstone delivers sustainability & ESG training that delivers real impact, helping build a more sustainable future
Empowering
It’s all about empowering business and individuals to do more with less. Prepare yourself and your teams with the right skills – you’ve got this!
You
A trusted partner, Pitchstone works with you to deliver what’s really needed, when you need it most