45 hashtags for sustainability reports

I read an interesting article on Twitter. About the use of hashtags and how they are subversively infiltrating our language. Very soon, we will greet people face to face with "Hashtag Good Morning"  or wish our family and friends a "Hashtag Happy Birthday" or respond when someone asks how we are with "Hashtag Fine". Yes, this is our new language of Twitterish. It is not confined to Twitter. It's changing the way we speak and write. Naturally, for me, as I have a very narrow view of the world - everything is related either to ice cream or to sustainability reporting - I pondered a little on the use of hashtags in sustainability reports. I don't think I have seen any reports written in Twitterish, yet. 140 character sentences and twitpic images. I might consider that for Beyond Business's next report, but in the meantime, if you are considering Twitterifying your Sustainability Report, here is the Official Sustainability Report Hashtag Lexicon, and remember, you saw it here first!

The following hashtags are grouped into three categories:

• Simple (needs no explanation, every report has them)
• Simple Plus (hashtags with full or partial external assurance,  which raise the credibility level of your report)
• Complex (unusual, innovative or sector-specific hashtags which impress the socks off your stakeholders )

Simple Hashtags
#csr
#sustainability
#report
#sustainabilityreport
#stakeholder
#stakeholderengagement
#welovestakeholders
#ourpeopleareourgreatestasset
#customerservice
#materiality
#materialissues
#notapplicable
#notmaterial
#notreported
#GRI
#GRIreferenced
#informedbytheGRI
#almostGRI
#maybeGRI
#nextyearGRI
#transparent
#verytransparent
#incrediblytransparent
#carbonneutral
#environmentalstewardship
#wecareaboutouremployees

SimplePlus Hashtags
#accurate
#balanced
#fair
#honest
#reliable
#authentic

Complex Hashtags
#weopposeconflictminerals
#webuysustainablepalmoil
#creatingsharedvalueisinourDNA
#makingmoreprofitisnottheonlythingwecareabout
#empoweringcommunitiessothattheybuymoreproducts
#givingpeoplejobsisacontributiontosociety
#employabilityisavalue
#humanrightsareeverybody'srights
#wetotallyvalueyourfeedback
#pleasesendyourfeedbacktothisdisconnectednumber
#weareproudofwhatwehaveachievedsofareventhoughwemissedourtargets
#wehaveinvestedsignificanteffortsindevelopingthisreport
#nowwesitbackandonothinguntilnextyear


 elaine cohen, CSR consultant, winning (CRRA'12) Sustainability Reporter, HR Professional, Ice Cream Addict. Author of CSR for HR: A necessary partnership for advancing responsible business practices Contact me via www.twitter.com/elainecohen   on Twitter or via my business website www.b-yond.biz  (Beyond Business Ltd, an inspired CSR consulting and Sustainability Reporting firm)