Sustainable Business Services

Key to implementing any sustainability campaign is helping our clients understanding their competitive landscape. FD Element helps clients understand their marketplace, risks and opportunities. We break it into three specific products, ordered from most in-depth to least

"Sustainability @ your company" Reports

A thought leadership position that takes into account marketplace trends, government regulation and rapidly evolving environmental innovation

  • Client and Competitor Research and Benchmarking: A comprehensive look at the sustainability activities of our clients and those of their three key competitors. It considers key initiatives, core messaging, NGO partnerships, awards and recognition, media coverage, disclosure statements and activities in the regulatory arena.
  • Audit of Best Practices of Market Leaders: Provide clients with big-picture insight into their competitive marketplace, reviewing program highlights, communications tools and channels, media coverage, NGO partnerships and stakeholder engagement.
  • Message Development: Shape a client’s focus by refining target audiences, and by developing a customized sustainability narrative, talking points, FAQs and key messages segmented by stakeholder groups

Peer Review Snapshot

  • Research and benchmarking: A topline look at the sustainability activities of key competitors in terms of their messaging, communications tools and media profile.
  • Risk and opportunity review: A review of emerging regulatory and market trends that will pose risks and provide opportunities; includes recommendations.

Monthly Sustainability Intelligence Reports

  • Monthly Intelligence Gathering, Analysis and Recommendations
  • Snapshot of client and competitor activities relating to sustainability: Includes new initiatives, new communications activities, and media coverage
  • Overview of regulatory trends: Review and analysis of regulatory trends that will affect the client now or in the future
  • Overview of business trends: Review and analysis of the activities of sustainability market leaders with an eye to what our clients can learn
  • State-of-play overview: Specific recommendations based on the information gathered during the intelligence gathering process

FD Element enables clients to use a holistic approach to sustainability communications that achieves targeted results to build enterprise value.

Components include:

Comprehensive Strategic Planning

  • Develop a customized plan to maximize opportunities and minimize risk

Key Message Development

  • Develop a credible, authentic, and honest tone that can be leveraged for ongoing communications around sustainability

Stakeholder Outreach

  • Strengthen existing relationships, while building new ones to enhance your company’s brand and reputation.

Conferences and Awards

  • Create and enhance your leadership position within your industry and market
  • Blog and Public Relations with the emerging sustainability media – online

Internal Communications and Brand Message Development

  • Ensure that sustainability is embraced and understood throughout your company

Partnerships and Signature Initiative Development

  • Develop and implement long-term partnerships and corporate initiatives to highlight sustainability commitments in the context of the corporate brand

Thought Leadership Activities

  • Use coordinated steps including Op-Eds, conferences, speeches and media events for effective thought leadership positioning around sustainability

Creative Services

  • Use a strategic mix of media to help bring your sustainability narrative to life

Research

  • Public opinion research, elite opinions research, stakeholder mapping

Corporate Sustainability Reports

A good corporate sustainability report can be a key communications opportunity to helping clients:

  • Brand their company as committed to sound and ethical corporate stewardship
  • Address and stay ahead of critical issues
  • Highlight company achievements
  • Clearly outline goals for the future

FD Element offers the following services:

Strategic Goal Setting

  • Set the stage for future plans and initiatives

Concept Development

  • Put into place standards for benchmarking success

Assistance with reporting benchmarks

  • Help ensure accuracy in reporting using internationally recognized standards like the General Reporting Initiative (GRI) and the UN Compact

Writing and Design

  • Establish a credible and authentic tone to tell your sustainability story and do it in a way that captures your audience’s imagination

Sustainability Report Launch Campaigns

As the circle of concerned stakeholders expands, FD Element is helping clients use the launch of their reports to maximize advantages. Launch campaigns should include:


Risk Analysis and Recommendations:

  • Develop inventory of likely critics and their points of criticism, along with effective responses

Roundtable Presentations to Key Stakeholders:

  • Have effective dialogues with groups including NGOs, socially responsible investors, key media and policy-makers and influencers

Blog and Media Relations:

  • Use media to deliver key messages through interviews, op/eds, blog posts and letters to the editor

Web-Based Outreach:

  • Use corporate online tools such as micro-sites and consistent copy on the company website

Creative Services:

  • Development of online video and other services to bring the sustainability narrative and report to life
Resources