A business isn't sustainable without financial success, and your investor relations department would certainly never skip the annual report. But your business isn't sustainable
without social growth either, whether that means work with local charities, sweeping changes in worldwide labor practices, or a commitment to higher environmental standards than
the industry average.
This week's strategy: Create a report that reflects those legs of your business. Nike issues an annual CSR report complete with information on environmental practices, labor
practices, Nike employees and other stakeholder groups.
Conoco's Sustainable Growth Report is tagged with the line, "We're raising the bar, again." The communications department doesn't deny that creating the yearly report is a
massive effort. Fowler and her team canvassed all the company's operations in more than 40 countries for anecdotal and statistical information.
"I spent more time than I'd like to remember on the 2001 report," says Fowler. But in the end, "I was so excited, and I remember saying to my staff, 'This is the first time in
my career that a PR tool has covered all the bases.'"
Editor's Note: Stay tuned for more strategies on how to ramp up your CSR programs in an upcoming issue.
(Contacts: Stewart, 503/ 671-6453; Radewagen, [email protected]; Mackey, [email protected]; Moore, 602/462-2210; Fowler, 281/293-4595; Weeks, [email protected])