đ Multiple teams, one document: the bit of impact reporting nobody talks about
Words of advice from a Senior Copywriter
In the sustainability space, we love an impact report. There arenât too many professions that work so consistently and quietly behind the scenes that get to publicly showcase their work once a year (is this what it feels like to be an accountant preparing end of year accounts?). But it isnât just the work of the sustainability manager as we all know. There is no such thing as sustainability in a vacuum, it takes every department pulling their weight. And then when it comes to publishing the impact report you have even more interested parties!
Keep reading to discover:
In Focus: Rebecca delves into what it takes to write a great impact report with Senior Copywriter Amber
Our Good(s) News roundup!
> In FocusâŚ
A Copy Writerâs Guide to Impact Reporting
I read a lot of impact reports and the good ones genuinely stay with me. Beautiful photography, charts that make sense at a glance, a genuine founderâs letter and imperfection showcased not hidden.
Writing one, though, is one of those jobs that looks straightforward until youâre doing it. Youâve got the data. Youâve got a yearâs worth of real work behind it. All thatâs left is to type it all up and share it. Simple, but then you open the document and realise how many people need to see themselves in it.
Because an impact report isnât really one teamâs document. Itâs the point where multiple sets of expertise have to meet on the same page. Your ESG team knows what actually happened and what the numbers can and canât support. Your copy team knows how to make someone care by page three. Legal and compliance know which claims will hold up And your board knows the strategy the whole thing is meant to reflect: where this sits in the business, and what youâre promising next.
Every one of those perspectives is right. They just donât automatically agree.
And the stakes have quietly risen. The CMA can now issue fines of up to 10% of global turnover without going to court, and from 27 September 2026 the EUâs Empowering Consumers Directive bans generic green claims outright. Nobodyâs writing an impact report in a vacuum any more.
Which, if youâre drafting a report this summer, makes the legal voice in the room rather louder than it used to be.
Every one of those perspectives is right. However, sometimes they just donât automatically agree. The ESG teamâs precision can read as caution. The copy teamâs warmth can read as risk. Legal caveats can flatten a genuine achievement into something that sounds like nothing much happened. Getting all perspectives onto one page, in one voice, without losing what makes any of them valuable - thatâs the actual work.
Weâve talked before about what makes a good impact report that people actually read. What we havenât talked about is how one gets made. So sat down with Amber Morgan, Freelance Senior Copywriter, who has a host of experience sitting right in the middle of exactly this.
Q&A
đ˘ Tell us a bit about your work - what kind of writing do you do?
Iâm a freelance senior copywriter specialising in brand language. With over a decade in-house at some of the UKâs most well-known global consumer brands, Iâve written for every customer touchpoint in industries spanning lifestyle, beauty and fashion.
đ˘ How did impact reports become part of your work?
As the regulatory landscape has evolved over the years, substantiated product claims and content like impact reports have become a part of the brand narrative, so I naturally found myself getting involved in these projects. I love the challenge they present â as a copywriter, itâs incredibly satisfying to bring multiple perspectives together in one distinctive voice, and I think thereâs a huge amount of untapped creative potential in how brands approach these reports.
đ˘ Whatâs different about writing an impact report compared to the other work you do for a brand?
It can feel less creative than, for example, an integrated campaign, but itâs perhaps more of a challenge because youâre working within so many specific guidelines while trying to bring the brand voice to life. Itâs a fine line to walk, but when done well the result can be an incredible reflection of the brand, its achievements and its goals, and engage a larger audience than a document crammed full of statistics and jargon.
đ˘ Whatâs the bit of the creation of an Impact Report that people would be most surprised by or often underestimate?
From a copy perspective, perhaps the amount of time needed to ensure that no single word is misleading â even the smallest use of a word like âhasâ or âwillâ can change how a sentence or statistic lands. Oh, and proofreading everything twice. Actually, make that three times!
đ˘ Do you have a favourite report youâve worked on, and what made it click?
I worked on a report for Seasalt Cornwall. It was great to see the brand taking a more reader-centric approach, thinking about how to make the data feel alive and easy to digest both visually and verbally, rather than just sharing statistics, achievements and goals as a tick-box exercise. There was a strong shift away from a corporate register towards the brand voice, which helped retain warmth where reports of this kind usually go flat.
đ˘ How do you get multiple teams with very different instincts to agree on one draft?
Collaboration is key, as is compromise. But itâs the same with any project when you work with a brand or in-house. It helps if feedback is specific, objective and rationalised, but the most important thing is that you are all on the same page when it comes to producing the best possible outcome for the brand and the reader.
đ˘ Whatâs one small thing any brand could do to make next yearâs report better, even without a big budget?
I would say one of the easiest things a brand could do is think about how they can make the content engaging for, and relevant to, their customers. Itâs a big challenge to take dry data and give it some personality, but even a small shift to a more conversational tone, or thinking about how to make the facts they are sharing relatable to the reader can make a difference, especially when paired with investing time into the design of the report so that itâs visually arresting.
đ˘ Once itâs published, whatâs the most-missed opportunity?
Treating publication as the finish line. So much time and budget goes into producing the report, and then it often sits on a landing page waiting to be found. The content inside it is some of the most useful material a brand will produce all year - it just isnât in a format anyone will encounter naturally. A single statistic can carry a social post, a paragraph can become a newsletter, or a specific section can be reworked into a blog. The same goes internally: teams who spent months on the work often never see how their contribution was told back to the outside world. The report doesnât have to be the only place the story lives.
đ˘ What makes you keep reading someone elseâs report past page five?
It has to be how compelling the content is, both visually and verbally. Some reports are not only beautifully (or unexpectedly) laid out with clearly signposted achievements or facts but are permeated with the brandâs tone of voice, so reading it feels like a true extension of the brand experience. It makes for a much more inspirational piece of work, getting you excited about what the brand has achieved and where they are going next.
A few days after my chat with Amber, the line still rattling around my mind is her point about âhasâ versus âwillâ. A single word, and the whole meaning of a statistic shifts. Thatâs the level credible and standout reports work at - which explains why it takes so much longer than anyone plans for and why proofreading three times (or more) isnât excessive!
But the thing that properly sparked a moment of pause for me was what she said about publication. All those months of work, all that care over single words and then the report goes and sits on a landing page waiting to be found. Itâs some of the best material a brand produces all year, in the one format nobody encounters by accident.
So hereâs my takeaway, borrowed wholesale from Amber. Itâs all a collaboration - and that doesnât stop when the thing goes live. Publishing isnât the finish line. A stat is a social post. A paragraph is a newsletter. And make a bit of noise about it internally- this is a yearâs worth of everyoneâs work, written down.
Working on yours at the moment? Hit reply and tell me where youâre stuck or what you are enjoying!
> Follow up withâŚ
đˇCover image: Photo by Hal Gatewood on Unsplash
> Last two weeks in consumer goods x climateâŚ
The Good(s) News
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> In case you missed itâŚ
đą How to write an impact report that people will actually read
Today weâre going to spotlight the brands that have nailed their impact reporting - and why itâs worth every companyâs time to invest in telling their story well. Because when done right, impact reports donât just inform. They inspire. Read on to find out how you can make your next report kick ass.
Do you have a topic in mind that you would love us to cover? Get in touch! We want to make sure we are diving into the topics that you find most useful and interesting.
Until next time!
Team FTFÂ
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