Purpose Now: Bringing sustainability stories to life
More than ever before, Brands are transforming their businesses and implementing robust sustainability strategies. However, with scepticism rife, authentic action and cut-through communications is crucial to engaging consumers, investors, and employees.
The latest webinar in our Purpose Now series explores how, regardless of where your brand is on its sustainability journey, creativity can bring your story to life in different ways.
The event is hosted by Grace Anthony, Planner at GOOD & moderated by Pete Esuola-Grant, GOOD’s Planning Director. We are also joined by Nicko Debenham, Sustainability Expert and ex-VP of Global Cocoa Sustainability at the world’s leading chocolate manufacturers.
Debenham provides context on establishing a robust baseline for sustainability strategies by sharing his journey & the case study of his transformational work at Barry Callebaut.
He discusses the importance of leadership in your sector, rather than compliance. As a sustainability leader, you need to create a vision, and work out what that looks like practically.
He also discusses celebrating the strategy, but not to forget to operationalise that strategy otherwise it is greenwashing. When you’ve operationalised, that is the true point of celebration. He concludes with the importance of positive external engagement; making sure your supply chain & customers are on board in order to achieve actual change.
Most businesses setting their sights on a greener future – in one way or another. Now that everyone’s establishing their voice, the marketplace is crowded and it’s never been more important to stand out from the crowd with your sustainability strategy. Here are some key takeaways from Grace’s discussion:
The public want to see business mobilise
With over 52% of people wanting businesses to do more for climate change (Edelman Trust Barometer 2022), the pressure is on for organisations to effectively execute & communicate their sustainability strategy. This is particularly apparent with younger generations – who are specifically looking to businesses to solve the climate crisis.
Businesses need to shift their perspectives from separate customer and staff narratives with how they engage with the environment. Their views are one and the same, and that increasingly needs to be reflected in their employment.
Customers are increasingly conscious of greenwashing, so quality of information is key
Despite this increased consciousness, brands seem to continue to make the same mistakes. For example, recently, British Cycling’s partnership with Shell & Coca-Cola’s sponsorship of COP27 both received immediate backlash, Both have been met with confusion by experts and the general public alike. Trust in businesses is extremely low, with 63% of the UK feel that business leaders are purposely trying to mislead people by saying things they know to be false or gross exaggerations (Edelman Trust Barometer 2022), Information quality has become a key driver for support & being seen as a core aspect of trust.
There’s a huge appetite for change, in a crowded but relatively inefficient landscape so ultimately good sustainable storytelling will predict who is successful in this landscape.
Posted by Katie Daley
