ESG Efforts: The Importance of Creating Effective Sustainability Report Videos

Sustainability in the corporate world has never been more important than it is now, and it’s only going to become more integral to the success of a company as we move forward. Corporate entities have social responsibilities (CSR), and those are qualified and quantified in ESG reports – analyses of their environmental, social and governance policies and efforts. Sustainability reports are meant to show stakeholders what you’re doing to engage environmental and social policies, and where you have room for improvement.

Sustainability reports used to be glossy packets of data, charts and stock photos. But many companies are switching to video production for their ESG reporting. Sustainability report videos are easier for stakeholders to digest and trust than bland numbers and figures on a page. ESG video production can make a 2-dimensional message into a dynamic, immersive experience that allows stakeholders to truly connect with your efforts.

What Goes into a Stand-Out Sustainability Report

First, we should discuss what goes into a sustainability report. How do you ensure you’re complying with requirements? How can you ensure the data you’re reporting is accurate? We’ve seen a few large corporate entities get punished for fabricating their sustainability reports in recent years. If anything, the overarching theme of any ESG report should be honesty and transparency.

Vital features of a sustainability report are:

Environmental impact: You should transparently report your company’s environmental footprint, including energy and material use, gas emissions, water usage, waste, waste management, etc.

Social efforts: Report on the parts of your business that interact with society writ-large. Does your company interact with the community? Do you contribute to charities or local businesses? What are your diversity efforts and human rights values regarding LGBTQIA+, minorities and immigrants?

Governance: What is your company tangibly doing to affect change in this area? This should include environmental policies, social policies, political involvement, and board structure.

Successfully Translating ESG Reports into Video

If you think about it, producing an ESG video as your method of sustainability reporting isn’t too different from a company culture video. Sustainability report videos are an engaging way to tell your stakeholders that you walk the talk; that the claims you make in your company values video are values you actually abide by and act upon.

The key to translating ink and paper infographics into an engaging, informative and digestible ESG video is to underline everything the video portrays with a story. Stunning graphics can be created to bring your figures to life. And an emotional music score can further encourage your audience’s connection with the environmental values values of your corporation.

Sustainability is a constant effort to maintain, and a struggle to improve. Your sustainability report video should highlight these efforts while portraying the story of your company’s efforts to become more environmentally friendly with time. Stakeholders are looking at the long term; your sustainability report film should show them that you are, too.

Sustainability in ESG Video Production: Two Sides of the Same Coin

On the other side of sustainability in ESG video production is the video production itself. In the past, producing a corporate video to highlight a company’s sustainability could sometimes be ironic, as the production of the video was anything but sustainable. But now, corporate video production companies are considering their own ESG efforts with things like:

• Reducing emissions by reducing fuel use, travel and housing, and utility usage
• Reducing waste by donating extra production materials and foods to local shelters
• Putting carbon-offset efforts in place by switching to electric cars and biofuel for larger vehicles
• Updating building efficiency and incorporating/switching to solar
• Maintaining high-end, durable equipment
• Finding ways to reuse, upcycle, or donate set supplies like props and wardrobe

Tribe Pictures: Sustainability Report Videos that Break the Mold

Our video production company helps corporations highlight their ESG efforts while adhering to our own, because sustainability is bigger than corporations and video production; it’s about all of us, everywhere. Environmental, social and governmental sustainability is a social responsibility.

Our core values of connection and authentic storytelling help companies making sustainability report videos two-fold. Not only are stories the best way to engage with and impact an audience, but things like patients testimonials, CEO video messages, candid workplace shots, and interviews with employees require no travel, no waste, no props. It’s just one of the many ways our unique corporate video strategy can help your company create a sustainability report video that stands out, makes an impact, and impresses stakeholders.