Future-ready Clients
For more than a decade, we’ve created a clear path forward for our clients.
Client Case studies
We are proud of what we’ve accomplished in partnership with our diverse portfolio of clients.
Climate Action Roadmap
Family-Owned Manufacturing Company
Services
Qualitative & quantitative research
Strategy development
Key performance indicator development
Project management & execution
Over the course of 10 years, we’ve counseled our client on a broad range of CSR issues, including setting goals and targets, and developing a structure to embed sustainability throughout the company. As the company grew, our client was concerned about how to manage carbon footprint while meeting market demand. They turned to us once more to improve their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions inventory and develop a climate action roadmap.
We served as a strategic advisor for the project and provided project management support throughout the year-long process. We defined the scope of work, identified and interviewed vendors with expertise in GHG inventory and climate plan development, and provided oversight. We also helped our client prepare to present the roadmap to the C-suite and board of directors.
As a result, the company adopted ambitious science-based targets and allocated the resources to implement the climate action plan. As they look forward toward 2030, the company is on a course to more than triple the percentage of renewable energy installed at their headquarters and reduce scope 1 and 2 emissions by 50%.
Annual ESG Reporting
Fortune 500 Travel Company
Services
Reporting strategy & content development
Disclosure guidance against ESG frameworks
Our client was entering a new phase of their sustainability journey. Having made recent advances in integrating ESG into the company’s core business strategy, they wanted to evolve their report from more of a marketing piece to a more decision-useful document for investors that also helped improve rating agency and S&P/DJSI scores.
Our team restructured the report based on the company’s new ESG framework and most recent materiality assessment. We made recommendations to strengthen disclosures and better align the reporting with GRI and SASB standards. In addition we helped our client develop KPIs for several of their goals. With that foundation in place, we developed a graphically rich report to highlight the company’s significant milestones and accomplishments and created a narrative thread that aligned with their brand values.
The resulting ESG report set an exciting new standard for the company. We’ve continued our work together on the development of their subsequent reports.
Annual CSR Reporting
Fortune 500 Medical Technology Company
Services
Peer benchmarking
Reporting strategy & content development
Materiality assessment
Our client was receiving increased scrutiny over its corporate social responsibility (CSR) efforts from several stakeholder groups—including investors, customers and employees. While the company had a powerful story to tell, it hadn’t been effectively communicated: past reports overwhelmed readers with too much information and a lack of structure. They wanted to set the record straight.
Part of the problem was a lack of clarity about the primary audience for the report, and little hierarchy about what the most important topics to cover were. We conducted peer benchmarking, comprehensive stakeholder engagement, and produced a materiality assessment to identify key data and reporting topics up front. To address the company’s piecemeal process for content collection, we set up a systematic and streamlined content collection process for our clients. The resulting report—aligned with GRI and SASB standards—clearly communicated the connection between business performance and CSR in a manner that was relevant to both CSR insiders and lay audiences.
Annual Sustainability Reporting
Fortune 1000 Healthcare Company
Services
Peer benchmarking
Reporting strategy & content development
Philanthropy & CSR goal alignment
Our client had recently conducted research to identify strategies to enhance employee retention and attraction. During the process, they learned that while corporate social responsibility (CSR) was important to employees, many were unaware of the company’s sustainability and social impact initiatives.
Our client set out to improve their employee communication and engagement by publishing their first sustainability report. In preparation, we led a peer benchmarking project, researched sector best practices, interviewed senior SMEs and made recommendations on material topics and key performance indicators.. We also provided guidance on aligning the company’s ESG platform, philanthropy and business strategy, into a single, coherent and easily communicable story.
The company published their first report in 2019, providing much-needed visibility into the company’s CSR initiatives, and setting the foundation for a dedicated Director of Corporate Responsibility. With guidance from our team, the company has continued to enhance its reporting over the last few years.
Business Engagement Strategy
Nonprofit Climate Education Partnership
Services
Qualitative research
Stakeholder engagement
Program design & execution
When one of the largest nonprofits in San Diego published a report on the future impact of climate change on the quality of life in the region, they knew their work was just beginning. Engaging others in the community—particularly businesses—would be key to creating change. Together with a National Science Foundation-funded collaborative, they got to work with guidance from SustainabilityNext.
Our team led the development of a business engagement strategy, designed to build on corporate interests in employee engagement and education, and provide practical, action-oriented recommendations. We created issue briefs and workshops on the climate-impact topics most relevant to businesses, as well as a business engagement toolkit, which included case studies and other useful content.
In post-workshop evaluations, 87% of participants said they felt more knowledgeable about climate change and its impacts after the workshops compared to 41% before the workshops.