Make setbacks a source of learning
A sustainability setback deserves an account of the intended change, why the initiative fell short and what the organisation learned. Reporting only achievements leaves out learning that could help others working towards similar commitments.
Describe impact rather than simply announcing activity. An initiative to track a truck fleet's hydrogen-powered miles, for example, means little to an outside audience without an explanation of its impact and lessons. Apply the same standard to unsuccessful initiatives: explain why the promised change did not materialise, rather than treating the initiative's existence as the story.
Publicly traded companies' marketing and reporting requirements can make openness about missteps difficult. Even within those pressures, sustainability teams should approach failures as learning moments and communicate them alongside wins, with the aim of informing, inspiring, encouraging collaboration and motivating action.