ESG communications can feel like a bit of a minefield to the uninitiated. With so many regulatory requirements to tiptoe around, good copy can get pushed out in favour of excruciating detail and compliance speak. At the other end of the spectrum, unscrupulous companies may use fancy, shiny generalisations to make their dismal sustainability efforts look a bit prettier. Neither is an effective way to make your ESG communications genuinely interesting and informative.<\/p>\n
With the release of the CMA\u2019s (Competition and Markets Authority) Green Claims Code in September, which sets out penalties for greenwashing, there is more than reputation at stake now. So it\u2019s more important than ever to get ESG communications right. We\u2019ve picked out some of the best examples of ESG communications (and sprinkled in a few that are somewhat lacking) to demonstrate how it\u2019s done.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/strong>Before we dive into the companies that are getting it right, let\u2019s look at how easy it is to trip up. ESG is an inherently emotional area, particularly once you get into topics such as modern slavery and wage inequality. As such, it\u2019s easy to let your passion for doing the right thing run away with you and miss the mark with your communications.<\/p>\n Tony\u2019s Chocolonely, a certified B Corp that sells 100% Fairtrade products, has made sustainability part of its USP. It was voted as the most sustainable Dutch brand by consumers in 2020 and is vocal about its commitment to producing slavery-free chocolate. But its 2021 advent calendar furore highlights how easily a well-intentioned attempt at highlighting ESG credentials can have entirely the opposite effect.<\/p>\n The company left the eighth window of its ethical advent calendar empty to highlight wage inequality for workers in the chocolate industry. The sentiment was there, but by delivering the message via a medium aimed primarily at children (who probably aren\u2019t ready for conversations about slavery and corruption within supply chains) it rather missed the mark.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong>One of the most magical things about words is that they can transform almost anything from unimpressive to showstopping. Yet when it comes to a topic as serious as sustainability, it\u2019s best to temper the flowery language. Great copy can dress a topic up, diminish the ugly bits and elevate it to something worth getting excited about. Equally, there are times when excellent copy simply holds a mirror up to the facts and lets them speak for themselves \u2013 even if they\u2019re not all rosy. On a topic as serious as sustainability, clarity and candour are best.<\/p>\n PepsiCo has been lauded for its transparent 2019 and 2020 sustainability reports. The information it presents can be downloaded and split up into sections, showing that it still stands up to scrutiny when taken out of the report\u2019s carefully curated order. Stakeholders and shareholders value honesty and being treated as intelligent equals far more than figures that have been manipulated to seem perfect, and PepsiCo shows it\u2019s on their wavelength.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong>Being clear about your achievements and struggles doesn\u2019t have to equate to pages of indigestible figures. In fact, if you want to engage your readers, you\u2019ve got to find the human impact in amongst the data. Sustainability agency Lundquist\u2019s \u2018gold class\u2019 reporters, which included giants such as Bayer, Unilever and Eni, earned themselves the highest accolades for connecting their communications to substantiated impacts.<\/p>\n These companies were called \u2018The Narrators\u2019, as their ESG communications were able to back their claims up with \u201cthe kind of robust evidence that users clamour for\u201d, according to Lundquist\u2019s Head of Sustainability, James Osborne. Lundquist\u2019s winners were also lauded for linking their actions to key themes that embody the spirit of sustainability, rather than just showing they\u2019ve hit the benchmarks.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong>Meanwhile, a group of low-performing companies earned themselves the moniker \u2018The Traditionalists\u2019, as they didn\u2019t demonstrate a culture of transparency around ESG issues and paid little attention to digital users. Additionally, these companies focused too much on technical compliance disclosure at the expense of \u201cdemonstrating a distinct corporate identity\u201d.<\/p>\n As Lundquist\u2019s analysis demonstrates, engaging ESG comms are about more than ticking boxes. The best reports, blogs and even social posts infuse every sentence with a brand\u2019s unique voice and identity to demonstrate compliance without compromising identity. It doesn\u2019t have to be complicated, either. Rather than simply presenting the figures on your progress on fair wages for all workers in your supply chain, you could hold it up as a living, breathing example of your commitment to fairness, which is a central tenet of your business.<\/p>\nDaring to be transparent<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Humanising the figures<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Linking back to key themes and values<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Saying something of worth<\/strong><\/h2>\n