Technical manuals are no longer just instructional materials—they have become critical tools for ensuring product safety, regulatory compliance, and customer trust. Today, new global standards tied to environmental regulations, digital accessibility, and ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) initiatives are fundamentally changing how documentation is created and delivered.
This article explores how these evolving requirements impact technical content development and what practical strategies documentation teams can apply to stay ahead.
From Print to Digital: Meeting Environmental Standards
As companies strive to reduce carbon emissions and eliminate waste, the transition from printed manuals to digital formats is accelerating. Printed materials consume resources in production, distribution, and storage—making digital delivery a natural fit for sustainability-driven organizations.
Key strategies for environmentally responsible documentation include:
- Maintaining PDFs for regulatory or customer submission while transitioning most user-facing manuals to HTML
- Implementing content management systems that support multi-language version control
- Designing content structures optimized for search, navigation, and reuse
These changes not only support ESG goals but also improve internal workflows and long-term content scalability.
Accessibility as a Legal and Ethical Obligation
Digital accessibility ensures that all users—including those with disabilities—can access content equally. In the U.S., compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and alignment with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) is becoming essential, particularly for public-facing documents.
Practical steps to improve accessibility in technical content include:
- Using semantic HTML and ARIA tags to support screen readers
- Providing alt text for icons, diagrams, and key visuals
- Meeting color contrast minimums (WCAG 2.1: 4.5:1 for normal text)
- Applying clear heading structures (H1, H2, H3) and visually separating content blocks
Whether you’re producing HTML manuals, PDFs, or eBooks, accessibility is now a global standard—and often a requirement in RFPs and public sector contracts.
How ESG Values Are Reflected in Documentation
Technical documentation now plays a meaningful role in demonstrating a company’s ESG commitment. Manuals designed with sustainability, inclusivity, and transparency in mind are becoming a deciding factor in vendor selection and regulatory audits.
Considerations for each ESG pillar:
- Environmental (E): Reduce print usage, design reusable content modules, and support digital-first workflows to minimize carbon impact
- Social (S): Ensure accessibility for aging users, multilingual audiences, and users with disabilities through WCAG-compliant design
- Governance (G): Maintain transparent revision histories, implement controlled versioning, and follow ISO 9001 and ISO 17100 standards for content governance
Large enterprises increasingly evaluate documentation delivery methods, accessibility readiness, and digital content strategies as indirect ESG indicators.
Five Practical Steps for Documentation Teams
To align with global expectations for sustainability and accessibility, documentation teams can adopt the following five-step approach:
- Define the Format Strategy
- Determine which content must remain in print (e.g., compliance-critical) and which can move to digital-only delivery
- Reference standards like ISO 14001 and product-specific export requirements
- Apply Accessibility Standards
- Follow WCAG 2.1, EN 301 549 (EU), and ADA (U.S.) as applicable
- Tailor accessibility features to format type (HTML vs. PDF)
- Establish ESG-Aligned Governance
- Validate Visual Design
- Ensure text size, contrast ratios, and diagram annotations meet accessibility standards
- Reference IEC 82079-1 and ISO 9241-171 for design clarity and usability
- Train Cross-Functional Teams
- Develop shared guidelines for writers, designers, and translators
- Provide internal training on ESG-related documentation standards and accessibility
A New Role for Documentation Professionals
Documentation professionals are no longer just technical writers. Today, they are sustainability advocates, accessibility champions, and contributors to corporate governance. Their work directly supports brand credibility and global market readiness.
By embracing digital transformation, regulatory compliance, and inclusive design, documentation teams can help their organizations lead the way in responsible and future-ready communication.
At Hansem Global, we support manufacturers and enterprise clients with ESG-compliant, accessibility-ready, and multilingual documentation solutions tailored for global markets. Our experts integrate international standards with scalable tools to help clients stay ahead in a changing regulatory landscape.
Want to modernize your documentation with ESG and accessibility in mind? Let’s talk about how Hansem Global can help you future-proof your manuals and technical content.