Sustainability is everyone’s business
In the coming decades, only sustainable businesses will be able to thrive and survive. Those who refuse to change and stick to the old ways of the past will stay there. However, being sustainable and trying to improve is not enough. Businesses also have to let their customers know what they are doing. But how can you communicate it clearly?
On the global level, businesses and consumers alike are moving towards more sustainable production and consumption. These megatrends are driven by the obvious damage caused by climate change and pollution. Put it this way, “Fire” is now an annual season in Australia and California, and there’s a patch of plastic waste twice the size of Texas floating in the Pacific Ocean – business as usual is no longer an option.
Happily, many forward-thinking companies are participating in initiatives set up by the UN and other organizations. From committing to the UN Global Compact, supporting the UN Sustainable Development Goals and setting Science Based Targets, companies are already hard at work improving their sustainability. However, with so many different initiatives to report on, you have to think carefully about how you communicate.
From the point of view of consumers and NGOs, they want to know about your commitments, aims and actions, and most importantly what your results are. Ideally, your investors and customers would be able follow your progress through regular communications, which would give a clear picture of sustainability throughout your entire supply chain and organization, from start to finish.
This kind of transparency is becoming increasingly important, and when you have a well-defined message to communicate, it’s best to do it first internally within your own organisation, before informing other stakeholders. This builds support internally, and enhances the impact and effectiveness of your external communications.
Sustainable thinking is part of business here at Brandkind, too, and we have recently begun to set up our own Environmental program. We hope to begin reporting on it in the coming winter and we look forward to telling you more about it soon!