Crafting an Effective Sustainability Communications Strategy

Communicating sustainability to a diverse group of stakeholders can at first seem daunting but it needn’t be this way. An effective and strategic sustainability communications plan is beneficial and essential for businesses, regardless of their size and sector.

This blog post outlines a strategy to formulate your organization’s unique communications plan to help you get started and amplify your ESG journey. The process can be as straightforward or as complex as your business requires but here are some ideas to overcome the initial hurdles. A template is included in the link below, which you can download and plug in to kickstart your sustainability communications plan. There’s no better time than now to begin your sustainability communications, so let’s dive in!

Image credit: Canva

The Need for A Sustainability Communications Plan

Why devote valuable time to communicating sustainability performance when there are so many competing demands on your time as a business? A well-planned communications strategy can be a valuable part of an organization’s sustainability plan. There are multiple reasons to start communication on the sustainability actions taken by your business:

Investor Appeal: Good sustainability communication has the potential to improve organizational valuation and investor relations by showcasing commitment to sustainability.

Brand Reputation: Improves organizational reputation and brand image among consumers and industry peers.

Market Positioning: Facilitates in carving a niche in the market as a responsible and forward-thinking entity.

Consumer Loyalty: Potentially fortifies customer loyalty by resonating with their values and ethical expectations.

Regulatory Compliance: Demonstrates compliance and engagement with local and global sustainability reporting requirements.

Partnership Opportunities: Opens avenues for collaborations and partnerships with like-minded entities and initiatives.

Risk Mitigation: Enables organizations to proactively address and communicate sustainability risks, averting potential crises.

Global Impact: Contributes to global sustainability goals and exhibits an organizational commitment to societal and environmental well-being.

Innovation Showcase: Provides a platform to highlight innovative approaches and solutions devised for sustainability challenges.

Community Relations: Enhances relationships with local communities by showcasing efforts toward sustainable development.

These are just some of the extensive and diverse landscapes impacted by organizations’ strategic communication of sustainability efforts. Each point plays a crucial role in shaping a comprehensive, positive, and influential organizational image and helps to showcase how businesses can mitigate ESG risk.

Image credit: Canva

Sustainability Communications as a Strategic Plan

Sustainability communications aren’t merely about outward communication but are vital to organizational sustainability strategy. Determining what to convey about your journey—both in short-term and long-term perspectives—enables the organization to direct its resources and efforts to develop necessary policies, data management, systems, and establish the partnerships required to meet its sustainability objectives.

Preparatory Steps for Sustainability Communications

Before embarking on this communications journey, organizations there are several key areas for consideration:

Assessment of Current Position: Involves scrutinizing internal and external factors, understanding the expectations of various stakeholders, benchmarking sustainability positions against peers, and keeping abreast of industry trends.
Understanding the Regulatory Landscape: A firm grasp on the regulatory environment in the markets you operate in is imperative. Sustainability reporting encompasses a wide and complex array of mandatory and voluntary reporting requirements across different regions and sectors.
Stakeholder Engagement: Gaining valuable insights into your stakeholders’ desired information, understanding their concerns, and identifying their preferred communication channels can significantly influence your communication strategy’s efficacy.

Principles to Enhance Your Sustainability Communications

Once prepared, here are some guiding principles for organizing your sustainability communications:

Define Objectives for Your Communications: Before creating a communication plan for your sustainability efforts, you need to identify all the potential communication objectives that align with your company’s sustainability goals. These objectives can range from raising external awareness of your sustainability position to preparing for potential crises. By refining and prioritizing your objectives, you can narrow down the list to include the most critical outcomes. You can hold a workshop with colleagues from different business functions to understand their communication objectives and ask for input from all corners of the company to determine the most important results. You can also consider external frameworks such as the Sustainable Development Goals to incorporate into your objectives and messaging.
Know Your Target Audience: Identifying and comprehending your target audience ensures your message is tailored to their specific needs, values, and concerns. Are you seeking to enhance your reputation as a responsible supplier among current and potential customers? Or do you want to inform consumers about a specific initiative your company is undertaking regarding a social or environmental issue, such as gender equality?
Craft a Compelling Story: Articulate why sustainability matters, what steps your organization is taking to mitigate challenges, and the impact of these initiatives. Make it specific to your organization, your customer or the protagonist at the heart of the sustainability story. To get started, begin by identifying your audience and stakeholders. Conduct workshops involving colleagues from different departments to gain insights into their respective stakeholder groups related to sustainability. Refine your audience by considering factors such as location, existing engagement, communication channels, and preconceptions about your company.

To effectively engage and connect with your audience in sustainability communications, you need to know who you are trying to reach. This involves crafting messages that resonate with specific groups of people. As sustainability communications have evolved, companies have shifted from a focus on reporting to targeting diverse audiences with tailored messaging through various channels. To establish a connection with your audience, consider the following three key aspects: KNOW, FEEL, and DO.

KNOW: Determine the information and messages you want people to know and understand.
FEEL: Consider the emotions or attitudes you want to evoke or instil in your audience.
DO: Identify the actions or behaviours you want your audience to adopt as a result of your communications.

You may also need to decide whether to reach your audience directly or indirectly through other stakeholders. Prioritize your audiences by categorizing them into primary and secondary audiences based on their importance for your sustainability communications. Also check these 8 ways to improve your sustainability communications.

Select Appropriate Communication Channels: Align your message with the most effective channels—considering traditional media, social media, and digital platforms—to ensure your message reaches and resonates with your audience.
Develop a Communications Plan: Formulate a plan that defines goals, identifies target audiences, develops key messages, chooses appropriate channels, and sets metrics for measuring success, while maintaining flexibility to adapt to changes.
Ensure Continuous Communication: Regularly updating stakeholders about your sustainability efforts and progress maintains engagement and keeps your message relevant.
Track and Adapt Your Progress: Monitoring the efficacy of your communication strategy, making necessary adjustments, and regularly measuring and reporting progress against sustainability targets are key to building trust and credibility among stakeholders. There is no one size fits all and regulations, business plans and stakeholder communications requirements may change over time.

Implementing Your Sustainability Communications Plan

With these principles in mind, utilizing a Sustainability Communications Plan Tool such as Sphera or a document template can guide you in developing a robust and effective plan, aiding your organization in navigating through its sustainability communications journey. Visit this link for a free communication plan template to begin your sustainability communications today.

Conclusion

A sustainability communications strategy is critical for demonstrating an organization’s dedication to forging a sustainable future for our planet and society. By transparently and effectively communicating your ESG initiatives, your organization can engage multiple stakeholders and inspire business peers to mitigate risk through better sustainability communications.