Building a Digital Foundation for Future ESG Reporting

OBATA creates an interactive and user-friendly format for the company’s inaugural ESG report

Situation

Peabody is a leading coal producer, serving customers in more than 25 countries on six continents. The company provides essential products to fuel baseload electricity for emerging and developed countries and create the steel needed to build foundational infrastructure.

Peabody’s commitment to sustainability underpins their activities today and helps to shape their strategy for the future. The company’s Environmental, Social & Governance (ESG) report provides a comprehensive resource for information related to ESG initiatives and metrics.

It’s not just WHAT you say to your stakeholders, but HOW you choose to say it.

STRATEGY

Delivering a dynamic ESG report in a digital format offers multiple benefits:

• Expand audience reach – a searchable and SEO-friendly document allows more people to find and read the report online
• User-friendly format – a single-page PDF document provides easy navigation for users and allows for readers to self-print, if necessary
• Reduced cost – an interactive PDF provides website-like look & feel without the expense
• Leverage existing resources – interactivity through bookmarks, hyperlinks, and cross-references linked to relevant content and resources located on the corporate websites. In addition, we edited and selected ESG related images from their vast image library.
• Visualize data – the report is punctuated with data that has been visualized through maps, icons, and graphs to bring understanding and emphasis to important content
• Limit carbon footprint – printing only a small quantity of the report and allowing on-demand printing as necessary

SOLUTION

The ESG report design is a natural brand extension of other corporate communication materials we produced for Peabody following a rebrand a few years earlier.

Obata’s adaptable design and flexible grid allows for content and page layout variation within a grid system that provides a cohesive look and feel. The report was divided up into three main sections: Environment, Social and Governance. The opening spread for each of these sections featured an environmental photo to provide impact and pace.

RESULTS

Peabody’s interactive 2018 ESG report increased stakeholder awareness and understanding of the company’s Environmental, Social & Governance efforts, and provides a template for ESG reporting in the future.

Learn more about our ESG and sustainability report design services.