Forster Communications - 2023 impact report review

I listened to Peter Gilheany, Director of Forster Communications, speak on the A Little Bit Radical podcast. I loved a lot of what he said and so wanted to understand more about the business through reading their latest impact report…

👍🏻 Three things I like:

1. DETAILED DISCLOSURE OF DATA

They include tables of ‘impact data’ across a range of areas, showing the year-on-year change in key metrics together with notes explaining the change.

I also like that they show the contribution to their carbon footprint from banking, pensions and insurance – a whopping 86% of their carbon footprint! Very few businesses disclose this and it is often highly material – so I liked this level of transparency.

2. CLIENT DISCLOSURE REPORT

They include a Client Disclosure Report where they report the percentage of their income from ‘carbon critical sectors’.  They explain work they did with these disclosed sectors.

I also like that they’re transparent about the number of briefs they’ve declined because they didn’t pass client selection criteria – it demonstrates that they follow through on their stated commitments even when it means turning down work. 

3. ENCOURAGING ACTIVE COMMUTING

They encourage the team to cycle or walk to work. They incentivise this by enabling the team to accrue extra holiday. And they also offer the team and clients 50p per mile for walking or cycling to meetings rather than taking public transport or driving.

I do have some questions about how inclusive this is. But as someone who is a big believer in active travel where it’s do-able, I love that they’re taking practical steps to encourage it. 

❓ Three questions it raises:

1. WHAT’S THEIR PLAN FOR DELIVERING POSITIVE IMPACT?

They’re clear on the difference they want to make in the world – I’d love to see their theory of change / plan for how they intend to do this. We could then see how the positive impacts they’ve had fit with this longer term strategic approach to impact and the objectives and targets they’ve set themselves.

2. SUPPLIER ENGAGEMENT – WHAT CAN OTHERS LEARN?

100% of their suppliers have net zero commitments in place. And 44% of suppliers are committed to paying a Living Wage.

To what extent has this been achieved by changing suppliers versus influencing existing suppliers to change?  What can other businesses learn from them? This is an area I know lots of businesses are struggling with.

3. BANKING & INSURANCE – WHAT CAN OTHERS LEARN?

They say that they have a plan for ensuring their banking and insurance facilities are aligned to their Climate Positive Plan. What can other businesses learn from them as they go on this journey? Will they share their learnings?

***

You can read the report for yourself here and let me know what you think.


If you’re preparing to write your own impact report, you might find my FREE Impact Reporting Roadmap helpful:

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