Strengthening Sustainability Reporting Through Independent Transparency

The challenge

As expectations around sustainability reporting continue to increase, from regulators, customers, and wider stakeholders, Karndean Designflooring recognised the importance of ensuring its communications were not only accurate, but also clear, balanced, and credible.

With a public commitment to responsible communication through The Anti Greenwash Charter, the organisation wanted an independent, objective view of how its sustainability reporting performed in practice. The aim was to understand where its approach was strong, where greater clarity or context was needed, and how future reporting could better meet stakeholder needs.

Why truMRK

Karndean engaged truMRK to independently review its sustainability communications and issue a Transparency Report. The purpose was not endorsement or certification, but benchmarking: providing a clear, evidence-led assessment of claims, language, and supporting information.

truMRK’s role was to assess how sustainability statements were framed, how well they were substantiated, and where there was a risk of misinterpretation. This included reviewing alignment with recognised standards, the balance between ambition and evidence, and the clarity of performance disclosures.

The approach

Karndean used the independent Transparency Report as a benchmarking exercise after the publication of its 2024 Evolve Sustainability Report. The assessment provided an unfiltered external perspective, enabling the team to step outside internal assumptions and view their reporting as stakeholders would.

The review highlighted both strengths and gaps, offering practical insight into:

• The clarity and precision of sustainability language

• Where additional context would improve understanding

• How data and performance information could be more specific

• How effectively the report addressed different stakeholder audiences

Rather than focusing solely on compliance, the process supported learning and improvement, helping the team understand what good and better transparency looks like in practice.

The outcome

The assessment confirmed that Karndean’s reporting already demonstrated strong foundations, particularly in clear language and commitment to recognised standards. It also identified areas where deeper explanation, clearer data presentation, and more detailed performance information would strengthen credibility.

Importantly, the process challenged the organisation to think more critically about audience needs and how future reports could communicate sustainability information more clearly and confidently. The insights gained have already shaped internal thinking and planning for subsequent reporting cycles.

What Karndean said

“Working with truMRK has been a highly valuable step in strengthening the way we communicate our sustainability work and to build on our commitment through the Anti Greenwash Charter. We used their independent Transparency Report as a benchmarking exercise for our 2024 Evolve Sustainability Report. This gave us a clear, unfiltered view of the strengths in our approach, such as the clarity of our language and our commitment to recognised standards, as well as where we need to provide deeper context, clearer data, and more specific performance information for our stakeholder. And it has challenged us to think about our audience for future reports.

Jamie Shaw, Global Head of Sustainability

Looking ahead

Following the initial Transparency Report, Karndean is now developing its next sustainability report in partnership with truMRK, embedding independent review earlier in the process. This reflects a longer-term, risk-aware approach to sustainability communication, supporting confidence at the point of publication and helping ensure claims are clear, substantiated, and credible.