Moving to integrated reporting 

We supported leading agri-business Olam on the development of its Annual Report, the goal was to start moving towards integrated reporting. Olam decided to integrate its full sustainability report into the financial report. The challenge around this was to ensure that sustainability was successfully integrated, producing a document that wasn’t simply a piece of compliance but a set of reports that targets all internal and external stakeholders from all areas. The aim was for Olam to provide relevant information and communicate value creation for the wider stakeholder audiences.

Addressing audience needs 

The merging of the sustainability report and financial report for 2016 reflected the interdependence of economic, social and environmental performance for Olam, and the importance of creating value across all three areas.

To maximise the value of the report, Olam and Black Sun worked together to structure the report to target specific audiences. The 2016 Annual Report was split out into three separate books - Strategy Report, Governance Report and Financial Report.

Our Integrated Solution

The reports are held together by a folder which sets up the theme of the full set - Maximising Value and Purpose. This theme reflects the building blocks of an enduring business. The communication of the sustainability sections in the Strategy Report is a visually engaging part of the report with case studies throughout and each section summarising how each material area is in relation to its goals and objectives. The risk section was also improved with the introduction of the principal risks table.

The implementation of the project was a collaborative effort between a number of different parties at Olam, across both the UK and Singapore, and supported by both Black Sun's team in London and the extended Singapore project team. 

Appealing to a wider audience

Integrating the sustainability report into the Annual Report gave Olam an opportunity to move from shareholder compliance to wider stakeholder appeal, whilst creating sustainable value for the Olam brand and story.