This project was supported by Enterprise Ireland Green Start funding.

Driving global sustainability progress demands actionable solutions and transparent communication strategies. Traditionally, sustainability reporting is often focused on mitigating risk and ensuring compliance with regulations. However, Accelerating Action believes in going beyond this, helping companies communicate the positive impact of their business. Accelerating Action recently partnered with CitySwift, a pioneering force in public transport data, to develop a comprehensive plan to not only measure their impact but also effectively communicate it to the world. CitySwift empowers public transport operators and authorities to create growing, high-performing and sustainable public transport networks through its cutting-edge data analytics platform.

CitySwift faced the dual challenge of quantifying its contribution to a greener transport sector and effectively communicating that impact to stakeholders. This required both a robust measurement framework and a compelling communications strategy.

This project was carried out via Enterprise Ireland Green Start funding, which supports CitySwift on their growth and sustainability journey. As registered ‘Green Service Providers’, Accelerating Action provided consultancy to help develop a comprehensive Sustainability Impact Plan and a targeted CO2 Reduction Communications Strategy.

The Challenge

The transport sector is a major contributor to global greenhouse gas emissions, making sustainable solutions critical. CitySwift’s technology offers a powerful tool for reducing these emissions by optimising routes, schedules and fleet operations. CitySwift needed a structured approach to measure and manage their impact, as well as a strategic way to communicate their environmental benefits to key stakeholders. This involved addressing two key challenges:

1. Creating a Sustainability Impact Plan to measure CitySwift’s environmental, social and economic impact, aligned with recognised reporting standards. The CitySwift board required approval of this Plan from their main investor, ahead of an important funding round.

2. Developing a compelling Communications Strategy to effectively tell CitySwift’s CO2 reduction story and position them as a leader in sustainable transport.

The Solution

Accelerating Action provided a tailored solution that combined sustainability consultancy with strategic communications expertise. Our work focused on two key areas:

1. Sustainability Impact Plan Development

We guided CitySwift in developing a Sustainability Impact Plan that encompassed:

• A comprehensive SDG assessment & analysis using the Accelerating Action platform, mapping their initiatives to relevant SDG targets.

• A clear definition of sustainability impact, outlining the scope of the plan and identifying key metrics.

• A robust measurement & reporting framework, including data collection processes and analytics tools.

• A detailed plan of strategies & initiatives to drive further sustainability improvements.

• A stakeholder engagement strategy to ensure transparency and collaboration.

This plan provided CitySwift with a roadmap for measuring, managing and reporting on its sustainability performance, aligned with industry best practices and the Voluntary European Sustainability Reporting Standards (VSME).

2. CO2 Reduction Communications Strategy

Subsequently, we developed a targeted CO2 Reduction Communications Strategy to effectively communicate CitySwift’s environmental impact. Key elements of this strategy included:

• Crafting a compelling central theme focused on ‘Accelerating CO2 Reduction through Optimised Public Transport,’ which resonated with their core business.

• Developing key messages that highlighted quantifiable impact, electric bus integration, modal shift enablement and economic benefits.

• Selecting appropriate communication channels, including press releases, social media, website, blog posts and industry publications.

• Creating engaging content, such as data visualisations, case studies and video narratives, to effectively communicate CitySwift’s CO2 reduction achievements.

• A strategic communication timeline aligned with key environmental dates and events.

The Impact

Accelerating Action’s work empowered CitySwift to:

• Develop a robust and actionable Sustainability Impact Plan that provides a clear roadmap for their sustainability journey. The deliverables not only satisfied CitySwift’s requirements but also garnered positive feedback from their investors, demonstrating the project’s success in meeting stakeholder expectations. Accelerating Action delivered the required work within tight deadlines and provided a fast turnaround, ensuring that CitySwift could proceed with their funding round objectives without delay.

• Effectively communicate their CO2 reduction achievements to key stakeholders, enhancing their credibility and attracting clients and investors who prioritise sustainability.

• Strengthen their brand reputation as a leader in sustainable transport solutions.

• Enhance their marketing and sales efforts by providing compelling narratives to showcase the value of their technology.

“We were extremely impressed with the quality and depth of the work provided by Tom & Philip at Accelerating Action. Their team demonstrated a clear understanding of our needs and delivered work that exceeded our expectations. The Impact Plan and Communication’s Strategy was well-researched, clearly articulated and directly aligned with our business goals. They have helped us to effectively communicate our environmental impact to key stakeholders. They were able to meet our tight deadlines and were always available to answer our questions. We look forward to working with them again in the future”. Caroline Lawless, City Swift’s Content Director