Putting Sustainability in Comms: Tips for the climate curious
How businesses, institutions and other organisations can enter the climate conversation
This month I am delighted to welcome Jeremy Herry as my co-author. Jeremy is a “European Green Dealer”, working on communication in the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Climate Action. He’s got heaps of experience working on communication around environmental issues (previously campaigning for Birdlife Europe), so I thought it would be interesting to work with him on a piece discussing how businesses (or governments! or institutions! or any organisation!) can and should make climate a priority in communication.
Over the past 10 years, the issue of climate has been embedded in European public consciousness. Perhaps it’s finally seeing extreme weather events closer to home, increasingly fervent calls from organisations working on climate or the fact that the bloody ocean caught fire. No matter the reason, climate has become an issue that consistently features among the top concerns of Europeans.
In this context, organisations increasingly face demands to show how they are acting on climate, no matter what field or topic they are working on. According to EIB data, 75% of EU citizens believe they are more concerned about the climate emergency than their governments are. Studies consistently show that consumers and clients desire (and will even pay more for) sustainably produced goods.
This is not just a matter of external pressure, but there is an internal desire to take climate action. According to Deloitte’s CxO Sustainability Report 2022, environmental-sustainability efforts are shown to positively impact employee morale and well-being (84%), as well as being connected to employee recruitment and retention (77%).
In short, doing your part for the climate is good business sense, but you need to make sure you communicate it properly.
With all this in mind, we have prepared five recommendations for those who are interested in taking their first steps into the climate conversation.
1. Communications can’t be better than policy
Step one: Do something worth talking about. If your sustainability policy is not good (or non-existent), it’s not a problem that can be solved with communication. Trying to portray things as sustainable or climate conscious in bad faith is completely unethical, a massive reputational risk and may even leave you open to legal action.
If the sustainable aspects of your policies are not good enough, it is your responsibility as a communicator to give that feedback internally. Critical functions of communications include listening, research and providing intelligence to decision makers to help them make strategic decisions.
If you’re overselling your organisation’s climate credentials, that’s called greenwashing - and nobody likes a hypocrite. Check out the Guide Against Greenwashing for advice on how to avoid it, and become a signatory to show your commitment.
Regardless of what business you’re in, you want to build trust with your audience. If they catch you telling porky pies (Note from Tom: for those less familiar with Cockney rhyming slang) about your climate impact, why should they believe you’re sincere about your other claims? Do not underestimate your audience’s intuition.
In a sense, taking action now is also a way to prevent a communications crisis from arising down the road. By failing to embrace climate action, your organisation would be exposing itself to unnecessary reputational risks. And who’s the first to get the blame when things go south? Oh that’s right, communicators (i.e. YOU).
2. Think of it is a layer
One of the best ways to think about environmental sustainability in your organisation is as a layer. It will be applied across your organisation, affecting and changing processes but rarely eliminating them. Sustainability should be an integral part of, and woven into all elements of your work. You may have heard of the need to “mainstream” climate action. The same goes with communicating it.
Look for opportunities to highlight your sustainability work through your standard communications. If you are talking about increased production, take the opportunity to point out how you reduce waste. If you open a new office, share how you installed solar panels. If you are building new infrastructure, show the aspects that take the local environment into account.
As a matter of fact, your organisation may already offer climate-friendly products or services that you hadn’t thought of, because they weren’t created with that priority in mind. Think of things that require no or little energy, that reduce the need for transport, or that can act as alternatives to dirtier options. A large part of the social and care sector is low-carbon, for instance, but you wouldn’t necessarily think of it in that way. Take a moment to reflect on the positive impact you have, and share it with pride.
You don’t have to be fully green to communicate on your efforts - show the process, inspire people and share your journey.
Like jobs or the broader economy, climate action is now a lens that people view your work through - so look for opportunities to discuss your contributions when discussing other aspects of your work.
3. Figure out your role in the conversation
To understand your role, you must figure out the meeting point between the impact you (and your communication) can have and what people expect and hope from your organisation. If you don’t know where to start, there are a few basic pieces of research that can help - have a look at what others in your field are up to, survey your audience/clientele/stakeholders, etc.
On a basic level, your role will determine the topics you tackle. Choose to communicate topics that suit your activities. This should not be a problem if you have a solid set of policies to act as your foundation.
If you are a small organisation operating in a particular region, it’s more realistic to link your climate communication to improvements in local health and happiness, than immediately trying to link your work to IPCC recommendations. However, that type of discussion might be more suitable to a larger organisation dedicated to climate issues whose audience expects this kind of content.
Some businesses, such as Patagonia, Oatly or Ben & Jerry's, go beyond marketing their products as sustainable, and go as far as calling on policymakers to act, thereby cultivating an ‘activist business’ brand.
Beyond topics, a good understanding of your role can help guide your organisational voice, your tone and other stylistic choices. And in any case, your audience needs to know your position.
4. Don’t be part of the problem
This space is one fraught with tensions, issues and bad faith actors trying to manipulate how we view and discuss topics - so educate yourself first and be ethical in how you communicate.
One of these tensions is between the personal and systemic. It is true that fighting climate change involves making changes at a personal level, but we also need a broad systemic change. The idea of a personal carbon footprint was popularised by a large advertising campaign of the fossil fuel company BP in 2005 (note from Jeremy: read Michael Mann’s New Climate War for a deep dive into this issue).
Avoid other common pitfalls - like overselling solutions, doomerism and greenwashing. Research and learn about how to use language correctly, what visuals are appropriate to use (spoiler: no fun in the sun beach pics).
“What about my climate-sceptic audience” you say? Well, you have a decision to make, and you shouldn’t be afraid to take a stand. The vast majority of the public is on your side: 93% of Europeans believe climate change is a serious problem. Quite a sizable share of the market.
Maybe you’re reading this and feeling bad because you think your organisation is part of the problem. Don’t despair: be honest and admit that while some things may be problematic now, you’re committed to getting better in the future. Have a clear plan for it (no greenwashing!), and your motivation will be appreciated. Show that like most people, you’re on a journey.
5. Be part of the solution
When you have your policies and communication in place, be vocal about it. Climate action and environmental sustainability is something that people increasingly care about and can only improve your reputation. Share your good practices with others in your field and work together to push boundaries further. You can even go as far as joining a collective of climate conscious organisations in your field - and if you can’t see many others, don’t be afraid to lead by starting one.
Being part of the solution also means being consistent. Your critics thrive on hypocrisy - don’t give them a stick to beat you with. You might want to consider this in the context of your communication budget - are you using energy sucking electronic billboards or other unnecessarily wasteful methods to get your message across? French magazine L’OBS came under social media fire a while back for publishing an issue entitled “Let’s get rid of plastic!” that was wrapped in plastic (you couldn’t make it up), but they managed to wiggle their way out of that pretty well.
Taking action yourself is important, but it is not the only way you can support climate action. Support campaigners and organisations who advocate for climate action. Use your platform to amplify voices of those affected by climate change who might not be otherwise heard. And remember: just as climate policy and communication is a layer on your organisation, climate itself is a layer in the broader pursuit of a better world.
Believe in yourself and set the bar high - and save the cynicism for coffee breaks.
