2022 is the year we get serious about the environment.

A cliched article opener – I know. But after COP 22, increasing natural disasters linked to climate change, and covid itself shining a spotlight on our (abusive) relationship with nature, the environment is on people’s minds more than ever.

It’s time for businesses to give serious thought to their sustainability credentials, and how to communicate them.

With that in mind, we’ve put together some simple dos and don’ts for business owners and brand managers to consider.

1. Sustainability is about more than just the environment

According to Forbes, “a sustainable brand is one that has successfully integrated environmental, economic and social issues into its business operation”.

Championing inclusive hiring policies, partnering with charities, lending support to campaigns fighting for social justice – these all promote sustainability. They’re also important to consumers. 85% of respondents in a recent study said that they wanted companies to engage with social issues, a further 64% saying they would prioritise buying from such companies.

But before breathing a sigh of relief and thinking your company comms can focus on good causes rather than the environmental impact behemoth, we have bad news for you.

“Environmental, economic and social issues” – note the “and” in Forbes’ definition.

If your business is striving towards carbon neutrality, or cutting plastic, but not attending to areas of social justice pertinent to your brand, you could be in trouble. In fact, broadcasting your eco-credentials will encourage wider scrutiny.

So, you need to make sure that your business truly lives and breathes sustainability in all its forms, before starting to talk to your customers about it.

2. Beware of greenwashing

A word first heard by most people in 2021, #greenwashing has been used over 84,000 times on Instagram, and a quick Google pulls up article after article claiming to help people identify brands guilty of the practice.

What is greenwashing? It’s when companies mislead consumers about how environmentally conscious their business is, often through deceptive advertising.  The CMA (Competition and Markets Authority) estimates that 60% of sustainability claims made by European fashion companies, including H&M, ASOS and Zara, are untrue.

But the more common form of greenwashing is for brands to carry out token ‘green’ initiatives whilst failing to address the deeper, systemic environmental harm they are causing.

Well-intentioned activities can fall foul of greenwashing by accident, though. Trade-in ‘pre-loved’ clothing schemes favoured by Patagonia are a prime example. Recent studies have shown that these initiatives can exacerbate climate change through encouraging consumers to buy more than they otherwise would, incentivised to trade in their older purchases with discounts on new items.

3. Fix the problem you create

Street corners littered with abandoned IKEA furniture is a common site, and for many has come to symbolise throwaway furniture culture. To tackle this problem in Norway, IKEA launched its Trash Collection campaign, salvaging and upcycle dumped pieces ready for a second lease of life.

Trash Collection will be remembered because it positions IKEA as taking responsibility for a problem of the brand’s own creation. It’s specific and memorable.

Even with the best intentions, unfocused environmental policies can backfire. Talking to Contagious, Corona Global VP Felipe Ambra commented: “If a brand tries to create an environmentally related initiative that is disconnected from the brand purpose, it’s going to sound like greenwashing to the consumer”. In that spirit, Corona has concentrated on waste generation and has heavily invested in beach cleans and plastic-reducing tech to ease the impact of their packaging.

4. Don’t be boring

Ernest, serious tones, pictures of planet earth, trees and the colour green, lots of it. Corporate sustainability ad creative is incredibly formulaic, and formulaic equals ineffective. Leo Burnett London’s Josh Bullmore agrees, saying (in the Contagious 2021 report) that pursuing this ultra-boring narrative brands risk becoming “green wallpaper that fades into the background”.

We can do better, and we will need to if we want consumers to pay attention. Us marketers will need to look beyond our industry peers for inspiration. Netflix’s recent hit Don’t Look Up broke the mould and used black humour to discuss climate change (and the political apathy to tackle it). Reviews were mixed but, hey, it got people talking. Could this provide sustainability advertising with new creative direction?

Take a look at Scandi clothing brand Ganni. The very essence of a conflict sits at the heart of a business like theirs that functions to get people to buy ‘more’. As such, they are bold enough to acknowledge this and say that they don’t see themselves as a responsible brand, but rather seek to be the most responsible version of themselves. By nature of being honest about this brings about a certain level of trust, and shows that there are many ways to talk about your intentions.

5. Sustainability is for small businesses too

Multinationals make up the bulk of examples in this article, but sustainability is something expected of, and achievable by companies of all sizes. Increased consumer interest in provenance and quality shines a spotlight on the sustainable credentials of small businesses. Unfairly or not, people expect more of SMBs than they do of faceless corporations.

Making the initial investment in sustainable business practice can seem daunting. But what small companies lack in size they make up for in agility and adaptability, impossible for major players who will take decades to change. Many of our Kentish food and drink brand neighbours have addressed sustainability demands well. Terlingham Vineyard has prioritised organic farming practices and reduced packaging, making it a great example of a family-run business benefiting from mapping out a new, greener business trajectory.

Whether you’re big or small, it’s definitely worth having a plan.  If you need help with your positioning, how to say things, or understanding which are the best channels to get your message across in 2022, get in touch, we’d love to help.