Green is the new black – sustainability communication is a hygiene factor

You should highlight this in your communication more clearly, your target group believes that this priority is something that makes you unique on the market, the consumer is willing to consider a purchase to a greater degree if the product is made of 100% recycled material, so it can sometimes sound under my presentations to clients. Depending on the purpose and position, it of course sounds different from case to case, but it is not unusual that at the end of an investigation we are sitting with a priority map of where as a company to put the powder in the first place. What is important in your particular communication to have the greatest effect and what is unimportant in the moment when you need to prioritize?

Communicate about what you do

Something that has become increasingly common – and which I would argue is almost more common than unusual – is testing attributes or claims that concern the environment and sustainability of various kinds. I quote our guest blogger Adam Bergsveen, senior sustainability consultant at Transformity: Sustainability communication is not a side job – it is a central part of a modern business, especially in light of stricter EU legislation such as the Green Deal and the proposed Green Claims Directive. We know from our latest survey that six out of ten (62%) think it is quite or very important that companies communicate about their sustainability work. We also know that every second Swede (53%) feels that companies are misleading in their environmental claims. It is therefore not only important that companies act on the environmental challenge, it is of extra importance that companies communicate about what they do and above all that they are clear about exactly what the work entails. Most important, however, is to inform the public in an educational way, given the already existing skepticism.

How important or unimportant do you think it is for companies to communicate about their sustainability work?

Which industry do you think is best at communicating about its sustainability work?

Every little helps

According to the World Wide Fund for Nature, the largest part of today’s emissions comes from the electricity and heat sector (25%). It is also the industry that, according to the general public, is the best at communicating about its sustainability work (19%), closely followed by the Food Industry (16%). Here, more industries need to hang on, not only those industries with an obviously large environmental impact, but also those that together create “many small streams”.

Why not start with a priority map to create an effective strategy? Set purpose, position and action plan to maximize the effect in the context in which you are relevant.