Is your organisation working in a sustainable way? Maybe you plant trees to offset carbon emissions, or perhaps you use products that contribute to a circular economy. Or maybe you just encourage your team to recycle and bring their own keep cups for coffee rather than disposable ones.
You might be quietly working towards these initiatives, but are you telling anyone about it?
We all know that living and working more sustainably is key to protecting our environment for generations to come. But for some businesses, there’s an added dimension to being eco-friendly. It can have positive marketing benefits.
Surveys show that people are looking for businesses that care for the environment. In 2023’s NZ Post Market Sentiments report, 44% of people said they would be prepared to pay more for products or services from environmentally responsible companies and 35% said they wouldn’t buy from companies that weren’t environmentally responsible. Eco-awareness is particularly high among Millennials and Gen Z who are looking to buy from and work with organisations that share their values.
So, if your organisation has embarked on a journey towards sustainability, it could boost your reputation as a considerate business and potentially win you some extra customers. But only if people know what you are doing.
Five places to show what you are doing to work more sustainably
Your website or blog
Your website is the obvious place to start sharing information. Dedicate a page to outlining your environmental goals and the steps you intend to reach them. You can update it regularly with progress. If you are accredited by any organisations or use accredited products, then you could also use these logos, with permission, on your website. For example, you might use Fair Trade products or those with Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) Certification, or be a member of an organisation like the Sustainable Business Network. If you have a blog, use that to create more detailed updates on how things are going or showcase particular projects or case studies.
Social media
Your social media channels can be used to give quick updates on your latest projects or progress towards your goals. Posting on social media also helps you to reach an audience who might not be visiting your website regularly. Images capture people’s attention on social media, so think about taking photos of your team working towards a goal, or use software like Canva to create infographics showing your progress.
Your annual report
Depending on the size and structure of your organisation you might produce an annual report for shareholders, directors or your clients. If you do, devote a section to the progress made towards meeting sustainability goals and some details about what you’ve been doing.
Local media
If you are doing something in particular, then it can be worth seeing if local newspapers, radio or community news websites are interested. Your team might be doing a tree planting day, or you might be involved in an innovative scheme to recycle food or computer equipment, that could spark local interest.
In job ads
This might sound a bit odd, but as eco-credentials become more important to consumers and potential employees, it can be useful to include information about how your business helps the environment, not only in your marketing but also in your job ads. This aspect of your business can help attract employees looking for companies with values.
Tips for communicating your sustainability journey the right way
Consider your audience
Different parts of your audience will need to hear different levels of detail so make sure your communications are relevant to the people you are showing them to. Your stakeholders will want to know much more than your casual customer for example.
Don’t overcomplicate things
Sometimes sustainability can be complicated. Offsetting carbon emissions for example is a good thing to do, but it can be tricky to explain how it works. Consider how much your audience needs to know and in what form. Use headline figures and short explanations in social media posts or use graphics to explain a complicated concept in an easy-to-digest way. Save the details for a blog post when people may have more time to read and understand.
Be true to your brand
The marketing and communications you do around sustainability and eco-friendly initiatives should reflect your brand. Don’t suddenly take a different tone or use a different style for talking about sustainability. Even though you might think it is a serious subject, talking about it in your usual voice with personal stories will make your journey more authentic. Use your own images too rather than relying on stock “eco” images like trees or rivers.
Beware of greenwashing
Greenwashing is when a company makes it sound like it’s doing more to be environmentally friendly than it really is. Sometimes it’s deliberate – a business might shout about some good practices but keep quiet about not-so-good ones. Sometimes it’s just because the company hasn’t really understood the concept or is misinformed. But whatever the reason for it, greenwashing isn’t a good idea and can damage your reputation.
Be honest and up-front
For many organisations, sustainability is something they are working towards and have not yet achieved 100%. It’s ok if that’s the case for your organisation. Be honest about where you are right now, what you might not have done well so far, what you are changing and the impact you can achieve with your resources. Take your audience on the journey with you.
The decision to make your organisation more eco-friendly should be rooted in a true desire to improve the world around us. But there is no harm in taking the additional boost to your reputation that it can give you if you are coming from a sound starting point.
For more tips on how to communicate your organisation’s successes, enrol in one of our marketing courses. We’ll teach you everything you need to know to tell your organisation’s stories in an authentic way.
