C10.2 Role
The role of an environmental report is essentially to impart information upon the reader. The key to an effective report is to ensure that it is written with the reader in mind.
An environmental professional might wish to see full details of every aspect of a piece of legislation and how it impacts upon their organisation, but a board of directors will simply want a summary.
However, a report may also have different aims. For example:
- Inform.
- Motivate.
- Encourage.
- Persuade / Dissuade.
A report may simply state facts (there have been x number of environmental incidents reported, y number of environmental inspection completed, £z spent on waste disposal etc) or it may aim to encourage a reader to adopt a way of thinking (encouraging management to invest in green technology, adopt an EMS etc or discourage certain activities such as animal testing). The aim of a report will undoubtedly affect its compilation.