Tell the stories behind the numbers
Build your first sustainability report around internal ESG reporting, then draw on business leaders' expertise to explain the work behind the figures. Dematic's first sustainability report followed that approach: a new process used its rigorous internal ESG reporting function as the foundation, while its business leaders supplied the knowledge needed to tell the stories behind the numbers. The resulting report presented Dematic's sustainability pledges honestly and humanely.
Treat reporting and storytelling as connected tasks, rather than choosing between numbers and narrative. A 2025 study by PwC found that companies reporting or planning to report under CSRD or ISSB involved an average of 10 separate business functions in sustainability reporting, both in the US and in the global comparison group.