EKOS provides customized consulting and support to help companies assess and prioritize the material sustainability-related issues for their business. We design and conduct customer interviews and surveys, gather employee input, review investor priorities, research industry trends, examine stakeholder concerns and lead executive analysis. The result is not only a materiality matrix that helps guide sustainability reporting, disclosure and communication, but also a process designed to build relationships and advance collaboration.

EKOS also offers a powerful Materiality 2.0 Workshop that can be customized to meet the specific needs of your organization.

EKOS MATERIALITY 2.0 WORKHOP is a one-day program for companies who want to do more than ‘check the box’ that they have conducted a materiality assessment for their corporate social responsibility reporting. The workshop covers all the basic concepts and processes for identifying and prioritizing stakeholders and “material” sustainability-related issues and how these guide reporting and communication. But the heart of the workshop goes well beyond that, introducing “deep materiality engagement” as a vehicle for building customer relationships, gaining strategic insight and market intelligence, stimulating innovation, uncovering new paths to increased profitability and value creation, and creating benefits for society. Participants apply concepts in a real world case, and leave with both a thorough understanding of the value and opportunity of deep materiality engagement and concrete methods to include in their company’s Materiality Assessment 2.0 process.

Sustainability Reporting

Rapid Prototyping Workshop

Developing a Sustainability/Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) report provides important benefits: an opportunity to communicate with customers and other stakeholders, clarify strategy, create alignment, identify key performance metrics, collect success stories, and build your brand internally and externally.   For many companies, though, the challenge of writing a CSR report is daunting, confusing, and laborious. EKOS’ unique “Rapid Prototyping” workshop condenses months of work into days and fast-tracks organizations through the entire process in ways that assure extraordinary results. Our “Rapid Prototyping,” in just one day after some preparatory work, either kick starts a full Sustainability Report or develops the basic draft of a Sustainability Brochure (sometimes preferable for first-time reporters).

The workshop is an accelerated, collaborative design process in which a team of company leaders, subject experts, designers, and writers quickly generate a creative, comprehensive CSR report, using a transformational process that harnesses the both the data and the perspectives of all key stakeholders.   This proven Rapid Prototyping Workshop jump-starts the reporting process, engaging the organization, eliminating land mines, capturing the excitement of great story-telling, and aligning the organization around its approach to sustainability.

Sustainability Report Rapid Prototype Workshop for First Time Reporters

Getting started with Sustainability reporting is challenging: not everyone understands what the vision is and why it makes business sense. External expectations are typically not well understood, and essentials for data collection and project management not well known. EKOS’ pioneering Sustainability Report Rapid Prototype workshop enables companies to begin immediately, enroll key players in their organization, identify and collect relevant data and success stories, and clearly align their sustainability work with their business strategy and brand. The intensive process includes a workshop, templates, assignments, and a tested, straightforward plan to get it done. In a condensed timeframe, clients create the backbone of a compelling and complete CSR report or the outline of a CSR Brochure, each of which is tightly linked to customers’ priorities, engages employees, and is viewed favorably by customers and key stakeholders.

Designed to collapse what previously might have been months of often disjointed work into pre-work followed by a single focused day, EKOS walks clients through every step of the process to assure a compelling foundation for their CSR report or a detailed outline for a CSR Brochure. Outcomes are:

• Understanding of the trends in and benefits of sustainability/CSR reporting
• Understanding of global CSR standards and expectations
• Aligned goals for CSR reporting
• Clarity on intended audiences for the report
• An initial scan of the material sustainability issues and risks for their company
• Consensus on the look-and-feel, design, and tone of the report
• Clear report development process and specific outlines of each person’s role
• Complete storyboard outline of each section of their CSR Report or Brochure
• Action plan and next steps
• Reliable path through the typical challenges faced by first-time reporters
• Excitement about clarifying and communicating sustainability actions and plans

Call us to explore how advancing your sustainability reporting can benefit your organization, and how our workshop might best be customized to fit your needs and priorities at this time.

The Rapid Prototyping preparation process and 1-day workshop is priced at a fixed fee of $12,000.
This includes:

• Two planning meetings with project leader(s)
• A single Executive/Senior Team briefing and interview
• Customized workshop invitation letter and agenda
• All Workshop Preparation Worksheets, sent to participants in advance
• Design and leadership of the one day workshop by one or more senior EKOS consultants (with an expectation of 15-25 participants)
• Post-workshop delivery of the session’s detailed CSR Report outlines and action plans
• Debrief and follow-up meeting with executive and project leader(s)

Expenses are billed at cost in addition to the single fixed consulting fee.

The Sustainability Report/Brochure Rapid Prototyping process and workshop can be and often is used as a fully stand-alone option.  Some companies, though, also appreciate additional support. Clients have also found it valuable to have EKOS:

• Individually interview executives and senior managers and create a summary report and presentation
• Benchmark key customers and competitors (often including customer interviews)
• Analyze industry trends and leaders
• Design mechanisms for employee input and engagement
• Guide the entire final report development process, including writing significant portions
• Lead sustainability report graphic design, branding and communications
• Lead senior management in developing sustainability strategy, goals, targets, initiatives – including developing a Sustainability Roadmap
• Lead and support aspects of implementation planning and execution
• Design and/or conduct education and engagement activities

These additional options can be project-priced, incorporated into a retainer arrangement, or billed at a daily fee.