School of Responsible Reporting & Systems Thinking
The School of Responsible Reporting & Systems Thinking supports sustainability and communications practitioners to engage deeply with the process behind the report — cultivating awareness, discernment, and systems thinking in how we gather, interpret, and share sustainability information.
Here, reporting becomes more than disclosure. It becomes a practice of responsible observation, relational accountability, and purposeful communication — grounded in the understanding that how we report is as important as what we report.
Foundations of Responsible Reporting
Build a strong grounding in sustainability reporting while exploring how mindfulness can enhance the awareness, intentionality, and integrity behind what we choose to measure, prioritise, and disclose.
Course Outline:
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Introduction to sustainability reporting: its purpose, evolution, and role in business
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Transparency and accountability as ethical foundations of reporting
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Key stakeholder expectations and the changing regulatory landscape
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Overview of global reporting frameworks (GRI, ISSB, TCFD, etc.)
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Integrating mindful practices in the process leading to reporting — from data gathering to decision-making and narrative framing
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Cultivating presence and discernment when translating information into clear, purposeful disclosure
What You Will Learn:
✅ Understand the fundamentals of ESG reporting and its role in corporate strategy
✅ Identify key stakeholders and their evolving expectations around disclosure
✅ Recognise major sustainability reporting frameworks and how they apply in context
✅ Apply mindful approaches in upstream processes — such as inquiry, listening, and reflection — to enhance the integrity of your reporting
✅ Strengthen presence and intentionality in how sustainability information is shared
Duration: 8 hours (Self-paced)
Systems Thinking for Sustainability Communicators
Learn to communicate complexity with clarity by applying systems thinking to your reporting and storytelling approach.
Course Outline:
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Introduction to systems thinking and feedback loops
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Mapping cause and effect: leverage points and unintended consequences
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Identifying boundaries, actors, and time scales in reporting
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Communicating complexity without oversimplification
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Using systems thinking to structure narratives and disclosures
What You Will Learn:
✅ How to apply systems thinking to uncover deeper narratives in sustainability
✅ Ways to structure content that reflects real-world complexity and interdependence
✅ Tools to visualise systems and communicate relationships with clarity
✅ How to avoid siloed or fragmented communication
✅ Techniques to foster holistic and forward-looking sustainability narratives
Duration: 8 hours (Self-paced + Case Studies)
Ethics and Responsibility in Sustainability Communications
Explore how transparency, integrity, and equity build trust in sustainability narratives.
Course Outline:
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Core principles of ethical reporting and transparency
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Recognising and avoiding greenwashing and performative disclosures
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Navigating dilemmas of selective truth, omission, and spin
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Power, representation, and voice in sustainability narratives
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Building trust through balanced view and honest reflection
What You Will Learn:
✅ Ethical considerations when crafting sustainability reports and narratives
✅ How to identify and address common pitfalls and blind spots in communication
✅ Practices to ensure inclusivity, fairness, and accuracy
✅ A values-based framework for responsible storytelling
Duration: 8 hours (Self-paced + Case Study Exercise)
Materiality, Metrics and Meaning
Go beyond compliance — connect data to purpose and tell stories that reflect what truly matters.
Course Outline:
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Understanding materiality: impact, stakeholder relevance, and risk
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Integrating systems thinking into materiality assessments
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Balancing metrics with narrative and qualitative insight
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Communicating uncertainty, nuance, and what’s emerging
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Elevating meaning through coherence and relevance
What You Will Learn:
✅ How to assess and prioritise what truly matters — internally and externally
✅ The role of data in telling meaningful sustainability stories
✅ How to bring depth and context to quantitative reporting
✅ Strategies to communicate both numbers and nuance
✅ A framework for aligning metrics with impact, purpose, and trust
Duration: 8 hours (Self-paced + Instructor Q&A)
Assurance & Verification of Sustainability Reports
Learn the third-party assurance process for sustainability reports and explore standards like ISSA 5000, ISAE 3000, AA1000AS, and CSRD audit requirements.
Course Outline:
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The role of ESG assurance & verification
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Understanding ISSA 5000, ISAE 3000, AA1000AS standards
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ESG auditing process & best practices
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Preparing for independent assurance reviews
What You Will Learn:
✅ Understand the importance of third-party ESG assurance
✅ Learn how to apply ISAE 3000, AA1000AS, and CSRD audit standards
✅ Prepare sustainability reports for independent verification
Duration: 8 hours (Self-paced + Expert-Led Session)
An Engaging Narrative: An Integrative Verbal & Visual Approach to Storytelling
Be clear on the implications in making greenwashing claims, know the regulatory boundaries surrounding greenwashing, and be confident in representing sustainability efforts fairly.
Course Outline:
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Foundations of storytelling in sustainability
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Building a compelling sustainability narrative
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Visual storytelling techniques
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Engaging stakeholders with multi-channel storytelling
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Workshop & application
What You Will Learn:
✅ How to craft a compelling sustainability narrative aligned with corporate purpose
✅ Techniques for integrating data and qualitative storytelling
✅ Best practices for using visuals to enhance impact and engagement
✅ Strategies to ensure authenticity, credibility, and avoid greenwashing
✅ Multi-channel communication approaches to maximize stakeholder engagement
✅ Practical skills in developing and refining a sustainability report story
Duration: 5 hours (Self-paced + Expert-Led Session)