What can you create from an annual or sustainability report?
Annual and sustainability reports bring together leadership commentary, workforce information, project results and future commitments. With some additional research and editing, that material can support content for customers, employees, investors and business partners.
I’ve worked with these subjects inside large organisations and now through Kyyte. At Optus and the Vodafone Foundation, my experience included community programmes, workplace giving and employee volunteering. The reports recorded the activity. Talking to the people involved added detail about how programmes worked and what participants experienced.
That experience shapes how I approach report repurposing: look for information an audience would want explained, then choose a suitable format.
A published report provides an approved source, but a new article, graphic or social post still needs checking. Changing the wording or removing context can change what a claim means.
The seven approaches below show how report content can support leadership communications, recruitment, employee engagement and sustainability marketing. The Singapore company examples illustrate source material and possible content uses; they are not claims that those companies ran the campaigns suggested here.
Kyyte’s sustainability and ESG communications and marketing services help organisations plan and develop this content.
1. Turn leadership messages into thought leadership articles.
Annual reports often include messages from the chair or CEO explaining business priorities, performance and future plans. These can provide a starting point for leadership articles and posts.
Instead of leaving them inside a report, they can be repurposed into:
- LinkedIn articles
- Leadership posts
- Media commentary
For example, DBS(1) uses its reporting to articulate its position on sustainable growth across Asia. These themes can easily be extended into executive commentary and industry perspectives.
Why this works:
A leadership article can explain one decision or priority in more detail than the report allows. Check the adapted piece with the executive and relevant reviewers before publishing.
2. Turn workforce data into employee profiles.
Many reports include diversity, training and workforce insights, but they are rarely used beyond compliance.
For example, OCBC’s 2024 Sustainability Report(2) states that women held 42% of leadership positions, including those at Great Eastern Holdings.
That single data point can become:
- Profiles of women in leadership roles
- Employee spotlight series
- Recruitment content
Instead of saying “42% of leadership is female”, the stronger story is:
- Who these leaders are
- How they progressed
- What others can learn
This turns a statistic into a narrative.
Workforce data can also support employee engagement and internal communication content, including leadership updates, employee features and recognition campaigns.
3. Use employee development stories in recruitment content.
Reports often contain detailed information about:
- Training programmes
- Leadership pathways
- Reskilling initiatives
For example, UOB’s 2024 Sustainability Report(3) records 121 promotions among participants in its Leadership Acceleration Programme between 2020 and 2024.
That can become:
- A feature on career progression
- An internal “how people grow here” article
- Employer branding content
Why this matters:
For prospective employees, these examples can explain how development works in practice. Interviews with participants can add detail about the training, support and responsibilities involved.
4. Turn community programmes into impact features.
This is one of the most underused areas.
Reports often include:
- Volunteer hours
- Community partnerships
- Workplace giving
But they are usually presented as numbers.
For example, Singtel reported(4) on volunteer programmes in which employees helped seniors and members of the public build digital skills and improve online safety awareness.
That can become:
- Human stories about the people involved
- Employee-led content
- Community impact features
From my time at Optus and the Vodafone Foundation, I learned that volunteering programmes were never just metrics.
The real value came from:
- The people participating
- The partnerships formed
- The stories created on the ground
Those stories drove:
- Employee engagement
- Internal pride
- External brand perception
The report captures the outcome. The content brings it to life.
For help developing an individual programme story, read our guide to turning your sustainability report into content, including interview questions, story structure and evidence checks.
You can also read our sustainability marketing blog.
5. Turn ESG data into infographics and social posts.
Reports are full of:
- Emissions data
- Targets
- Performance metrics
In the announcement accompanying its 2024 Integrated Sustainability Report(5), CDL reported a 25% reduction in Scope 1 and 2 operational carbon emissions from its 2016 baseline, covering assets under its direct management and operational control.
Instead of leaving this in a report:
- Turn it into an infographic
- Create visual dashboards
- Build social content around progress
Why this works:
Data builds trust, but only if people can understand it quickly. This is where clear communication of ESG data becomes critical.
6. Turn sustainability initiatives into case studies.
Most reports include:
- Project highlights
- Initiatives
- Impact summaries
This content can be repurposed into:
- Website case studies
- Sales materials
- Client-facing content
- Sustainability storytelling that shows real impact
For example, OCBC’s Women Unlimited Programme(2), which has extended funding to women-led businesses in Singapore, includes real founder stories.
That can become:
- A customer success story
- A feature on entrepreneurship
- A brand-led narrative around impact
This is high-value content because it shows real outcomes rather than claims, and you can use it to create content that drives lead generation.
7. Develop website pages from report content.
A report PDF can remain the main reference while selected topics become dedicated website pages.
A sustainability strategy page, for example, can explain priorities and link to supporting disclosures. A project page can bring together results, photographs and interviews that would otherwise sit in separate documents.
Possible pages include:
- Sustainability strategy and commitments.
- Environmental performance and progress.
- Community programmes and partnerships.
Give each page a clear purpose, descriptive headings and links to the relevant report. Date performance figures and review the content when new information becomes available.
This makes selected information easier to navigate, share and maintain. Include these pages in your content repurposing strategy, with an owner responsible for keeping them current.
An example worth sharing:
Mapletree Investments(6) presents its sustainability approach through a dedicated website section rather than relying solely on its sustainability report.
On its sustainability overview page, the company outlines:
- Its sustainability framework across economic, environmental, social and governance pillars
- Key material topics aligned to stakeholder impact
- Headline performance metrics such as green financing, renewable energy capacity, and workforce representation
This lets users quickly understand Mapletree’s sustainability strategy without navigating a full report.
Key information is:
- Structured and easy to access
- Broken into clear sections
- Supported by data and ongoing updates
Choose the report content you can develop first.
You do not need to use all seven approaches at once. Start with material that addresses a clear audience need and has enough supporting evidence to develop.
For each proposed piece, record the source, intended reader, format, contributor and approval owner. Check what additional interviews or information are needed before setting a publication date.
A small, manageable plan can connect report publication with ongoing communications. Leadership commentary, employee profiles and project case studies can also support brand awareness through content, giving readers specific examples of how the organisation operates.
Repurposing annual and sustainability report FAQs.
What does it mean to repurpose an annual or sustainability report?
Repurposing means taking useful material from a published report and adapting it for other formats and audiences. A leadership message might become a LinkedIn article, workforce data could support an employee story, and an environmental initiative could become a website case study. The source remains the same, but the presentation, length, and context change depending on where the new content will appear.
Which parts of a sustainability report are best for repurposing?
Start with information that has a clear audience, credible evidence and a useful story behind it. Strong possibilities include leadership commentary, progress against targets, employee initiatives, community partnerships, customer outcomes and individual projects. A long table of data may have limited value on its own. One significant result, supported by context and an explanation of how it was achieved, can produce much stronger content.
Does repurposed sustainability content need to be approved again?
Usually, yes. The report provides an approved source, but changing the wording or removing information from its original context can affect how a claim is understood. Repurposed content should be checked by the relevant sustainability, legal, compliance or communications teams. The review should confirm that the data, reporting period, methodology, and limitations are still accurately represented.
How can companies avoid greenwashing when repurposing report content?
Keep every claim tied to evidence in the published report. Include the reporting period, explain what the figures measure and retain any qualifications needed to understand the result properly. Avoid turning limited progress into a sweeping sustainability claim. If an initiative applies to a single market, business unit, or product, the content should state so. Precise language is more credible than an impressive headline that the underlying evidence cannot fully support.
How long can content from an annual or sustainability report be reused?
There is no fixed expiry date, but the information must remain accurate and clearly dated. Leadership perspectives, employee stories and project case studies may stay relevant for years. Performance figures and progress updates can become outdated once a newer reporting cycle is published. Create a record of which report and reporting period support each content asset. When new data becomes available, review the content and update, archive, or replace anything that could mislead readers.
Get more from the report you have already created.
Have an annual or sustainability report ready to use? Kyyte can help identify suitable content opportunities, plan the formats and develop the copy.
Our sustainability report repurposing and communications services cover content for leadership, employees, customers and other stakeholders.
Share your report with us to discuss which opportunities fit your audience and priorities.
Reports referenced.
The examples draw on the reports and company resources listed below. Reporting years are identified so readers can check the original figures and context.
- DBS Annual Report 2024
- OCBC Sustainability Report 2024
- UOB Sustainability Report 2024
- Singtel Sustainability Report 2024
- City Developments Limited Integrated Sustainability Report 2024
- Mapletree Investments
