Studies from organisations including NYU Stern School of Business show time and time again that sustainability goes hand in hand with better business performance, so it makes sense to talk about your startupâs sustainability efforts. But how best to do this?
Whether youâre at the start of a sustainability journey or already a way down the road, here are five simple strategies to power up your sustainability communications.
Put people first
For the past 50 years (or more like 500 years), the profit motive has informed the decisions of corporate officers, shareholders and board members. Policies that empower and liberate workers, have often taken a back-seat to those that streamline and restrict.
Slowly but surely public opinion is shifting, turning against policies that are tuned to greed instead of human need. ESG values have evolved to reflect that. Diversity, inclusion and wellbeing have become important criteria for running a sustainable business.
For startups thereâs the opportunity to establish these values early and earnestly. Shouting about all the good you do for your people, as well as our planet, can become the real driver of business success.
Example: The Seattle-based credit card processing company Gravity Payments pays all its employees a $70,000 minimum wage. The result? Positive headlines, national front covers, happy employees and a dramatic increase in productivity.
Be honest
Imperfections are a good thing. They signal transparency, genuine effort and growth. More importantly, flaws make your business more human. Transformation takes time and effort, and we can all relate to that struggle. So, tell the world that youâve switched your offices to renewable energy. But donât forget to share not-so-good news. Perhaps removing plastic waste from your operation is harder than expected. Share it. Honesty will only boost your credibility.
Example: Swedish oat milk giant Oatly was criticised for accepting investments from Blackstone Group, a private equity firm linked to deforestation in the Amazon. Oatly says they want to steer Blackstone towards more sustainable investments. If Oatly had mentioned this before entering into the new partnership, then they might have avoided the reputational fallout and remained true to their brand story.
Be proportionate
Tell it like it is. But be proportionate in your messaging too. What does that mean? You may be shifting to clean energy, transitioning to a closed-loop production system or trying to improve gender equality.
These things can take longer than expected, and thatâs okay. But if your foreground messaging and content suggests that youâre already fully sustainable, then people will notice the discrepancy. So, make sure to project an image of yourself that is realistic and proportionate to your current progress.
Example: The global oil and gas industry spends less than 1% of its capital expenditure on low-carbon technologies. Yet, over 90% of their social media messaging suggests that they are leaders of the global renewable energy transition. This has led to a lot of negative exposure.
Donât tell people what to do
âDonât tell me what to doâ is the title of a recent research paper. It shows that asking people to change their behaviour to address the climate crisis doesnât work. It puts people off.
This is true for other ESG matters too, whether thatâs reducing packaging waste or battling illegal child labour. People instinctively understand that businesses have much more power to change the world than individual consumers do.
Thatâs why itâs best to tell your customers first about what you do as a business to make the world a better place. Any messaging about individual actions will sound a lot better in that context.
Example: In 2011, Patagonia took out a full-page ad in The New York Times. Explaining that âthe environmental cost of everything we do is astonishingâ, they asked viewers not to buy their jackets. Still, this so-called âdemarketingâ stunt was acceptable. After all, as one of the most outspoken and active companies in the world, Patagonia walks the walk. A good example is how Patagonia commits 1% of its sales to environmental groups.
Make it stick
âWoo-hoo! Weâve reduced our Scope 1+2 CO2 emissions by 23% compared to a 2005 baseline.â Thatâs great news. Except, announcements like this can be notoriously hard to understand for non-experts.
As the Heath Brothers spelled out in their book âMade To Stickâ, itâs a matter of S-U-C-C-E-S: Simplicity, Unexpectedness, Concreteness, Credibility, Emotion and Story. Build these features into your messaging, and youâre bound to succeed.
Example: Scotlandâs national water provider Scottish Water increased public trust to record levels (91%) with significant uplifts in recognition of their role in protecting the environment (87%) by running a highly successful initiative to reduce single-use plastics in society. Surprisingly, the simple âtop up from the tapâ campaign never mentioned âplasticâ or âbottled waterâ.
Communicating around sustainability sounds simple. Itâs all good, right? Thatâs true. It is simple, provided you keep these five steps in mind, communicate carefully and thoughtfully, and donât overinflate your sustainable credentials.
Pete Martin is a creative sustainability strategist from Always Be Content (ABC)
