Why Impact Reports Matter
Becoming a B Corp shows commitment to building a better world. It’s not a one-off marketing exercise but a journey of constant improvement. At the heart of this are B Corp’s standards covering Governance, Workers, Community, Environment and Customers.
Beyond certification, the data you collect unlocks stories of your brand’s authentic efforts. These stories build trust, connect you with values-driven audiences and inspire action.
An annual impact report is not an obligation — it’s an opportunity to showcase your progress with hard proof, not vague promises. This guide helps you plan, create and share those stories.
Stage One: Plan & Act
- Define objectives – explore what you want to achieve. This could be, for example, to demonstrate progress towards environmental targets or your social responsibility. You can align these topic areas to the requirements of your B Impact Assessment (BIA) to minimise additional data demands.
- Capture data – put in place mechanisms to ensure this is captured systematically throughout the year and is easily accessible (scrabbling to do this at the end of the process is never a good idea!).
- Secure buy-in – it’s important that the whole company believes in and owns your Impact Report. Communicate internally so people understand positive outcomes.
- Assign roles – find the right people to carry the report forward ― with defined roles and responsibilities. You might want to create a ‘Project Delivery Team’ to simplify delivery.
Stage Two: Report & Create
Shape your report early to make data collection and storytelling easier. Focus on five core elements:
- Introduction – a human and authentic message from the CEO that connects values to action.
- B Corp Assessment – ensure transparency by featuring your BIA scorecard so readers understand where you are progressing.
- Commitments – outline your promises to people, purpose and the planet. It’s important that these commitments are meaningful and measurable because ― as you produce more impact reports ― you can prove the progress you make over time.
- Stories & studies – people like stories about people (not just numbers) so make sure you talk about how your work makes a difference. If you reduce carbon emissions, for example, tell the story in terms of its human impact (rather than just percentages). You can structure your stories around Governance, Workers, Community, Environment, Customers.
- Conclusion & Design – end on an inspiring high, with achievements, future goals and a call to action. Enhance with inclusive design and engaging visuals.
Stage Three: Launch & Amplify
Publishing the report is just the start—make it fly with smart amplification.
- Launch strategy – don’t just upload your report to your website. Think about how to leverage the assets within the report.
- Omnichannel approach ― harness the power of your CRM systems, email outreach, in-person events such as roundtables and speaking opportunities, podcasts and your social channels ― to amplify reach and impact.
- Evergreen content – clever design and presentation will mean you have a great resource of sharable stories and infographics that you can link to, for example, emerging news stories and trends throughout the year. Your report will also help you to write blogs, populate award entries and complete regulatory information requests.
- Measure success – track reach, engagement, and learn lessons for next year’s report.
Stage Four: Expert Support
Any new endeavour can be daunting ― particularly one as business critical and publicly visible as an impact report.
It calls on a range of specialisms, including impact report creation, B Corp data, compelling writing, digital design, marketing and social media expertise. These are specialisms that not all businesses will have in-house.
As one of the highest scoring B Corp communications agencies in the world, Milk & Honey PR is a veteran of producing award-winning B Corp impact reports. It’s given us the experience and insight to efficiently and effectively identify the data, tell the stories and amplify the visibility of purpose-led businesses.
