Authentic sustainability storytelling

George Ames, Board Director, Forster Communications

Too often stories about sustainability activities can become siloed, feel unauthentic or simply don’t resonate with colleagues and customers. 

We know that communicating sustainability efforts is daunting. From the risk of appearing dull and uninspiring to accusations of greenwash and grandstanding.

It’s no surprise that many brands don’t know where to start or are fearful of starting at all, leading to confused messaging and uninformed audiences.

The answer? Start at the beginning and find the thread that goes through all activity, asking:

• Why does the brand do what it does?
• What does it help to achieve in the world?
• What is its heritage and how is it evolving?
• What meaningful action and progress has been made?
• What needs to be invested in, improved and done better?

Ultimately, everything a brand says and does will impact how customers think about it. It’s critical all communications – including sustainability – is authentic, thoughtful and reflective.

Be action-focused

Talking about what you’re doing is important, but stories are more engaging when they explain how. Customers want to know what’s going on behind the scenes to make your promises happen, and colleagues want to understand how they’re a part of the impact your brand is driving. Being transparent about your sustainability journey also influences positive action within the wider industry, positioning your brand as a real changemaker.

Be imaginative

A brand’s sustainability strategy is vital for driving change within the organisation, but as a business framework it’s not always going to directly resonate with the people you want to inform and involve. To find the thread, choose the engaging and inspirational stories that you know will appeal to your customers and employees, and tell them in imaginative ways that bring your actions to life.

Think long-term

Sustainability commitments and targets are long term, so the communications should be too. A forward-looking communications strategy shows a clear awareness of the task at hand; sustainability is never ‘complete’ and brands need to take their audience on the journey with them.

Start small

The delight is in the detail with sustainability. Smaller stories can bring strategies and targets to life and give sustainability communications a sharper brand lens. By confidently and consistently telling smaller stories, brands can build a credible bigger picture to frame their overall efforts.

Know when to turn the volume up (or down)

Proportionality is key to finding the balance between greenhushing and greenwashing. Activities should be communicated transparently, but not everything needs a press release or a big launch. Communication needs to be proportionate to the topic at hand, so when there’s a key story to tell it’s able to really shine.

Don’t wait for perfect

Brands are often wary of communicating their efforts because they want to get it exactly right, but sustainability is all about progress, not perfection, and communications should reflect this. No brand is doing things flawlessly – the important thing is that they’re doing things. We can’t wait for perfection to communicate what we’re doing.

If you need help finding your thread, speak to an expert at Forster Communications.