That’s where we come in. We steep ourselves in our clients’ strategic business and sustainability priorities, ground our recommendations in rigorous analysis and deep understanding of the ESG landscape, and leverage our expertise to produce sustainability reports and related communications that resonate with key audiences and align with leading frameworks and emerging requirements.
ESG/sustainability-focused materiality assessment—that is, identifying the issues, risks, and opportunities that impact a company and its stakeholders—is the foundation of effective strategy and reporting and a requirement of many reporting frameworks.
BuzzWord was one of the first practitioners of materiality assessment in the sustainability context nearly 20 years ago, and we’ve refined our proven approach to be useful for companies of any sector or stage of their sustainability journey. From analyzing the landscape and priority audiences and researching trends to interviewing stakeholders and facilitating materiality workshops, we tailor our approach to be efficient and informative while meeting our client’s objectives.
The world of ESG/sustainability reporting is changing faster than ever, with increasing disclosure demands from investors, regulators, employees, and other stakeholders—as well as new and evolving efforts to expand or harmonize the many frameworks and metrics used to assess companies’ ESG performance. At the same time, public scrutiny of companies’ ESG policies, practices, and disclosure remains high as concerns about greenwashing, empty commitments, and the overall rigor of ESG information continue to mount.
BuzzWord has deep expertise on reporting frameworks including GRI, SASB, TCFD, UNGC, and ISSB, as well as ESG raters such as MSCI, Sustainalytics, S&P, and ISS. We provide expert guidance and actionable recommendations to help our clients understand, prioritize, and align their reporting with the fast-changing disclosure requirements and recommendations.
In the face of a dizzying and ever-growing array of ESG standards, ratings, and rankings—with no single yardstick for what a “good” or “great” report looks like—it can be difficult for companies to determine how their reporting stacks up. To sort through the noise and identify strategic and efficient opportunities to advance their disclosures and communication, companies need actionable insights.
BuzzWord has developed a suite of tools and processes to help our clients assess their reporting against ESG framework and rater requirements and understand how peers and leaders are reporting on key topics. Our detailed analysis synthesizes criteria and indicators and identifies gaps based on the company’s existing reporting. And we pair that with expert advice on what to prioritize and tangible recommendations to close gaps.
We are exceptional writers and editors with extensive knowledge of ESG/sustainability issues who help our clients articulate their strategy and performance in a clear, compelling, and transparent way. We listen deeply, learn quickly, and craft engaging narratives that are true to the company’s voice.
While a report is often the centerpiece, the most effective communications plans bring together multiple channels and a suite of communications tailored to key audiences. We work side by side with our clients to develop and deliver these, using established and emerging frameworks as well as our deep knowledge of evolving stakeholder demands. Throughout, we bring our proven project management chops—along with insights about what works for clients and their audiences and a flexible, roll-up-our-sleeves approach.
Through long-time partnerships with some of the best graphic designers in the business, we deliver ESG/sustainability reports and related communications that seamlessly integrate innovative, fit-for-purpose editorial content with cutting-edge print/PDF and web design. Translating complex topics and technical information in a way that is meaningful to diverse audiences requires both visual and verbal skills. By collaborating with expert design partners, we create a compelling narrative that uses infographics, images, video, and animations to tell our clients’ stories.
With limited time and resources and numerous factors to consider—combined with long lead times to collect certain data and put policies and programs in place—companies can benefit from developing a strategic roadmap to advance their reporting not only for the next year but also over multiple cycles.
We help our clients sort through and prioritize what actions to take, gain insight into best and “next” practices, and understand new and emerging issues and trends. We offer expert guidance and actionable recommendations to help them enhance content, strategically expand or streamline report content to meet the needs of priority audiences, and increase the impact of their reporting—and the long-term relationships we develop with our clients are a testament to that.
