Step 4: Build a good structure

It is in this part that you start talking about the company’s actions and impact in a precise and analytical fashion.

This remains the most important and longest part of your impact note. For these reasons, you may divide it up into 2-3 sections to improve readability.

What you must NOT do

1/ Do not include a description of the company and its activities.

The only exception is if the readers need this context in order to effectively gauge the value and scope of the impact, or if the note does not make sense without this extra information.

Example: “Saudi Aramco is the world’s largest oil producer, leading the top carbon emitter list with a share of 12.3%”

2/ Do not indicate your opinion on the subject

Always stick to facts and figures. Your main value added here is not your opinion but rather your critical synthesis and assessment of all the pieces of information you researched.

3/ Do not copy-paste a list of facts without adding value

What you do not want to do is extract information directly from a source or list a succession of facts without processing the information and providing a critical assessment.

4/ Do not follow a list or bullet point format

Remember that these analyses are meant to be read by a larger audience. To make it easier to grasp the impact you are examining, following a logical flow and using connecting words, but not through bullet points or simple lists. As explained above, we are looking for analysts to add value to the topic.

What you MUST do in this part

1/ Follow an analytical flow

This means that you should clarify the cause-to-effect relationship of the impact you describe. Following the logic model approach can sometimes be adequate: you can start from the company’s intentions, then talk about inputs and activities, to conclude on the final outputs, outcomes and impact.

2/ Be as granular as possible by focusing on a single issue, project, or initiative

For more information on how to be granular, make sure to check our dedicated article.

3/ Provide as much depth as possible by including precise data in the form of facts and figures, both absolute (e.g. tonnes of CO2) and relative (e.g. % increase)

You should always strive to inform readers of:

• what outcome does the effect relate to
• how significant is the effect in this time period
• who experiences the effect

👉 For more information on the dimensions of impact, check out this short article.

4/ Go beyond companies’ websites, CSR and ESG report

For this, you must gather information from external sources, put them in perspective and develop a synthesis that helps your reader better understand what is really taking place.

For more information on how to go beyond ESG and CSR, check out Golden rule #4.

5/ Try to assess potential limits and flaws that remain to be addressed

This will help your analysis to be more critical and nuanced, providing added value.

You can also do this by including information from additional sources that are varied and reliable that might have varied points of view on this impact.

Example 1

"Saudi Aramco is the world’s largest oil producer, leading the top carbon emitter list with a share of 12.3%³. It has emitted an approximated 59.26 billion tonnes of carbon equivalent since 1965⁵. After being fully nationalized in 1980, Saudi Aramco pumped around 116 Bbbl of crude oil from the kingdom’s desert and the Persian Gulf, an amount of oil responsible for releasing over 30 billion tonnes of CO2 into the atmosphere in just four decades – more than double China’s yearly emissions⁴. Since 2000, Saudi Aramco has massively increased its carbon emission, reaching 2,000 million tonnes of CO2 in a single year by 2015³."

Taken from: https://app.impaakt.com/analys...

Example 2

"Bioaccumulation of toxins in populations of large marine animals with long life spans is expected. In fact, the spill has been linked to the largest and longest lasting dolphin die-off in the Gulf of Mexico⁶. Sea turtles have also been impacted due to the disturbance of their nesting sites⁷. Between 4,900 and 7,600 large juvenile and adult sea turtles and between 56,000 and 166,000 small juvenile sea turtles were killed by the spill⁸. A total of 22 different marine mammal species were negatively impacted by the spill⁹, while impacts on pelagic fish embryonic development were also reported¹⁰."

Taken from: https://app.impaakt.com/analys...