Ask an Expert: Dong Energy’s Katrine Milman

Katrine Milman is the Lead Sustainability Advisor at DONG Energy, which today announced it will be repositioning itself as Ørsted. Once a giant in coal and oil, the Danish company is committing to be the new leader in renewable energy. Whatever its name, its been a perennial darling in The Works’ Sustainability Reporting Trends and Best Practices, so we thought it wise to pick Katrine’s brain. A few weeks ago, while Ørsted was still undercover, we chatted with her about what sustainability in fashion and energy have in common, how to use CSR reporting as a marketing tool, and how storytelling helps facilitate real-world change.

Please tell us a bit about your professional journey.

I’ve been in the sustainability game for about 15 years. I started in the retail and fashion industry as an environmental planner. That allowed me to develop my knowledge of communications and design. It’s a common trajectory for sustainability professionals: we learn to build relationships with stakeholders and highlight the various goals of a company. It’s very important to find the balance between storytelling and presenting data. Very few people read a report front to back – they pick and choose what’s relevant to them.

How has DONG Energy’s recent IPO affected the company’s sustainability communications?

The investors are always top-of-mind. We need to ensure we always understand their wants and needs. And sustainability is a big part of that. While we don’t produce an integrated report, per se, our financial and ESG strategies do overlap. Unique to DONG Energy is our non-financial accounting team. They comment on all the raw data for our reports because our investors are interested in our non-financial risks and opportunities. And for us, the process of developing a report is as important as the finished product. It’s about measuring internal development and progress. In this way, we can demonstrate to our stakeholders that DONG Energy is a well-managed company.

The cover of DONG Energy’s 2016 report made the next big step clear: clean energy by 2023.

What’s the value of strong design in both your sustainability and annual reports?

The look and feel of a report is essential in communicating not only our strategy, but also the company brand. Our sustainability department works closely with the design team to achieve that harmony. It’s interesting – the marketing department uses the sustainability report actively at conferences and events to promote the company on the whole. So, it’s much more than just a disclosure document.

As you approach sustainability milestones, what do you see as Ørsted’s longer-term goals?

Until recently, DONG Energy was associated with “black” energy, so to speak. We want to become a 100 percent green energy company. By 2023, we aim to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions by 96 percent and completely phase out coal. These are ambitious targets. Further developing our position as a world leader in wind energy is central to that vision. The dialogue with our stakeholders will change in the coming years. Our narrative is shifting dramatically, so we need to strive for best in class reporting. We’re on a journey.

The new Ørsted brand was announced on October 2nd 2017. On the DONG Energy Twitter, the company said, “We’re changing, and so should our name.”

Coming soon: we’ll review the new Ørsted brand, where it came from and why it was implemented. Is it adding anything to the sustainability story? Rarely before have we seen a brand and stated CSR mission be so tightly intertwined, and we’ll dive in. Don’t want to miss it? Be sure to sign up for In Scope Digest.