Easy steps for effective sustainability communication
Do you know how to market your sustainability credentials confidently? Follow our business guide to create effective, impactful messaging which showcases your sustainability initiatives.
Today’s sustainability business landscape
In today's rapidly evolving business environment, the importance of sustainability has risen to the forefront. With pressing environmental concerns and heightened public awareness, companies face the imperative not only to integrate sustainable practices into their operations but also to convey their commitment to sustainability effectively. Communication about sustainability plays a vital role in shaping public perception, engaging with stakeholders, and catalysing meaningful positive change. However, many businesses often struggle to effectively communicate their sustainability efforts to their target audience. This can involve challenges articulating the scope and impact of their initiatives, unintentionally attributing additional or less environmental effects to products or operations and ensuring that their message is consistent with their brand identity.
The UK government is committed to achieving zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, which will have implications for the food and drink sector. Recent developments include plans for sustainable drinks packaging, a postponed eco-labelling framework, enhancements to sustainable farming incentives, and increased scrutiny of environmental claims. The government has postponed its plans to introduce mandatory eco-labelling and is now focusing on addressing the quantification of environmental impacts and improving data quality. Additional measures include standardised product-level accounting, multi-metric level reporting, and a review of sustainability disclosure standards. However, it is important for companies not only to meet the minimum regulatory standards but also to demonstrate their commitment to sustainability to build trust in their claims.
The importance of communicating sustainability
In today's market, there is a significant surge in consumer demand for sustainable products and transparent business practices. Environmental and social sustainability, as well as carbon footprint messaging, are gaining importance, making it crucial for businesses to communicate their sustainability initiatives effectively. This means avoiding greenwashing, misleading terminology, and genuinely showcasing a commitment to sustainability. By effectively marketing sustainability, a company can set itself apart in the marketplace, addressing consumer concerns while potentially benefiting from regulatory incentives. As businesses strive to navigate these complexities and make informed decisions, it becomes essential to embrace environmentally responsible practices and adopt initiatives that emphasise transparency and ethical conduct.
Consumers expect companies to demonstrate a genuine commitment to sustainability. Even though only a minority of consumers consistently purchase sustainable products, 50% actively avoid buying food and drink brands with poor eco-credentials. This emphasises the importance of being viewed as sustainable to remain competitive. Establishing trust is crucial; recent reports suggest that over 70% of adults believe that maintaining a healthy and sustainable diet is essential but about 74% of consumers doubt food and drink companies' efforts to reduce environmental impact.
Common challenges in marketing sustainability
Businesses frequently face challenges when it comes to effective promotion of their sustainability efforts due to a lack of internal knowledge and expertise in this area. This leads to the potential risk of 'greenwashing', if initiatives are not conveyed transparently and accurately. Furthermore, simplifying intricate sustainability practices into easily understandable and marketable messages poses a significant challenge.
Try these easy steps for effective communication of your sustainability efforts:
Understand your audience. Effective communication requires deep understanding of your audience. Take the time to comprehend your audience’s attitudes, values, and beliefs regarding sustainability. Tailor your messaging to resonate with their specific interests and concerns. By connecting sustainability to their everyday lives, you can make it more relatable and impactful.
Avoid overstating environmental benefits and ensure clear, well-substantiated claims in your messaging. A major drinks brand faced an advertising ban by the ASA due to claims of misleading environmental impact. The animated ads encouraged people to 'fix up the planet' by buying their drinks. However, the ASA found that the ads implied these products had a positive environmental impact, which was not the case. Despite containing 50% recycled material, their single-use plastic bottles still had an overall negative impact.
Authenticity and action first. Businesses need to prioritise authenticity and action when it comes to sustainability. Before engaging in discussions about sustainability, it is crucial for businesses to genuinely embrace it. It is not enough to simply talk about sustainable practices; the key lies in actively implementing them. Actions speak louder than words, and consumers are quick to recognise and appreciate companies that demonstrate genuine commitment to sustainable practices, rather than those just paying lip service to it. Building trust through authenticity is an important aspect of fostering a positive relationship with consumers. Sustainability is not only about being ‘green’, it also encompasses social and economic aspects, and this holistic approach should be reflected in your communication.
Avoid making exaggerated green claims, ensure fair impact comparisons, and provide robust evidence to support your claims. A high-profile advertising campaign by a renowned brand was banned in the UK due to misleading environmental claims. The ads compared the carbon footprint of the company’s product with competitors, but the claim could have been misunderstood as applying to all of the businesses’ products when it was only based on a single product.
Prioritise transparency and honesty when communicating sustainability initiatives and targets. This means being open about both successes and challenges and avoiding making misleading claims. Acknowledging areas that need improvement helps to build trust and credibility. It is worth noting that when evaluating a brand’s environmental impact, packaging is likely to be a significant factor amongst consumers as packaging-related claims strongly resonate with a significant portion of shoppers which is seen as a tangible way for consumers to address environmental concerns.
Provide accurate information to consumers regarding the environmental impact of your products. A coffee pod in Canada was fined for falsely claiming that its single-use capsules were recyclable. Most Canadian provinces rejected these capsules, resulting in 90 tonnes of plastic pods being removed from recycling bins in Toronto. The company was fined and required to revise its packaging information.
Ensure packaging actually reduces environmental impact, consider consumer usage and disposal, and explore alternative materials for plastic packaging. For example, a coffee company introduced a 'straw-less' lid as part of their sustainability efforts to reduce landfill waste. However, critics pointed out that the new lid contained more plastic than the previous lid-and-straw combination, increasing plastic waste in landfills.
Keep it simple. Avoid using specialised language and intricate terminology when discussing sustainability. It is important to simplify your messages to ensure that they are easily understood by a wide audience. Incorporating storytelling techniques can effectively illustrate the impact of your sustainability initiatives, making the concept more relatable and engaging. In addition, when addressing complex sustainability concepts such as carbon neutrality and net zero, it is important to use different tools like visual aids, infographics, charts or diagrams to help simplify the information and make it more digestible.
Ensure environmental claims are explicit and backed by evidence, avoiding vague language. An advertisement for a plant-based meat company claimed that the product could ‘help reduce our carbon footprint.’ However, the ASA ruled it misleading because it did not clarify what it meant by 'our' and failed to specify the basis for the carbon footprint reduction. The ASA emphasised the importance of clear environmental claims and material information in ads. The message was likely to mislead consumers.
Consider collaborating with credible third parties when working on sustainability communications. Partnering with reputable organisations or experts can lend credibility to your initiatives. Highlighting certifications, partnerships, or endorsements from trusted sources can further strengthen your sustainability message.
It is important to be transparent and honest. In 2024 there is an expectation that companies will have a section on their website dedicated to sustainability. This should go beyond simply stating that they care about the environment and should also outline specific actions being taken. Simply mentioning sustainability without detailing concrete efforts is no longer enough. For example, statements that do not provide clear information to customers such as claims of recyclability when the product is not completely recyclable must be avoided.
Businesses that effectively communicate their sustainability efforts can inspire positive change, as well as create consumer success. Organisations can drive meaningful impact by aligning messaging with actions, understanding audiences, and embracing transparency. Effective communication enhances your reputation and brand by demonstrating a strong commitment to sustainability. This fosters trust and loyalty among customers who prioritise environmentally and socially responsible brands, and gives your business a competitive edge by differentiating it from competitors. Embracing sustainable practices minimises risks and ensures compliance with regulations for seamless business continuity. Furthermore, an authentic commitment to sustainability attracts and retains top talent, as employees take pride in working for socially responsible companies
To explore how SAC Consulting can assist you in sharing proven, reliable sustainability claims with your customers and help you communicate your message effectively, take a look at our website or contact luisa.riascos@sac.co.uk or kerry.hammond@sac.co.uk.
Posted by SAC Consulting on 30/09/2024
