How to Market Corporate Sustainability Projects Without Sounding Thoughtless
Find a greener plan
As part of the energy industry, we know how important it is to be aware of societal and environmental changes, including sustainability initiatives and how they impact both businesses and consumers.
There is a sea of possibilities when it comes to getting your business greener, including renewable energy certificates, carbon offsets, green building certifications, VPPAs, and carbon accounting. But how should companies market their corporate sustainability projects without sounding silly?
Communicating your business’ green energy and sustainability strategy can be as tough as creating it. Something as simple as not using the right terminology or a confusing campaign could not only make your company waste money but also put you in a branding crisis. The last thing a sustainability or communications team wants is to be accused of greenwashing.
Is it important to promote sustainability efforts?
Yes. The concern about GHG emissions is one of the major topics on social media, global conferences, and media outlets, as well as one of the most relevant political discussions across the globe. The increasing number of natural catastrophes around the world has also been pointed out as a consequence of human action. There is a wide understanding among consumers that businesses, alongside governments, should have a leading role in reducing emissions.
According to a Harvard Business Review survey, consumers are 27% more likely to purchase something when they believe a brand cares about its impact on people and the planet. It’s no wonder enhanced branding is considered one of the main benefits of well-planned corporate sustainability.
Where to start
To properly market sustainability projects, this is what you need to analyze first:
- – What is the goal?
- – Is being sustainable a long-term project for your company?
- – Does the company have sustainable programs?
- – Does the company use renewable energy?
- – What internal sustainable initiatives does the company currently have?
- – What external sustainable initiatives does the company currently have?
- – Does the company measure its carbon emissions and other impacts on the environment and local communities?
- – Does the company have sustainable products?
- – Is the business on social media?
- – What is your target audience (age, gender, location, consumption habits, etc.)?
To be well prepared and demonstrate professionalism, companies need to first understand themselves internally on all sides of the business. Before promoting any sustainability-related initiatives, you need to be sure of what you’re doing, from emissions calculations to specific corporate environmental solutions.
Although sustainability is a trendy and even glamorous topic for some organizations, it can also be tricky and harm your brand if not advertised the right way.
Marketing your Corporate sustainability plan: Website, Social Media, and other Campaigns
Regarding websites, these are a great platform for companies to get more technical and provide more details about their projects as you have more room. It’s always useful to have a landing page that summarizes your green efforts right at the top but that also provides in-depth information if users need it.
It can be a good choice to present the company values and inform in numbers what is currently being done, including information on the complexity level of each project, the timelines, the expected impact, and even financial figures if applicable. Some projects that could be highlighted include solar panel installation, Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs), business energy-efficiency improvements, and more.
The post frequency and the business’ tone on the main social media platforms will depend especially on the target audience. However, the truth is that almost no one wants to read a long-form text on social media. Followers look for complete yet concise and visual posts. This is a good opportunity to focus on numbers. They grab people’s attention and improve the company’s credibility. Comparing past initiatives with current ones can also be a smart choice.
For general campaigns, the focus should be the same: transparency. There are plenty of ways to be creative in promoting green initiatives for employees or consumers, but how your green marketing statements are framed makes a huge difference in how the company is perceived.
Regardless of the communication platform and company size, being concise and transparent will reduce the chances of ambiguous interpretation or misrepresentation of your company’s efforts. This is why numbers can be so useful. Instead of trying to tell people how ‘green’ your business is, you will demonstrate it.
Defining sustainability in a corporate marketing environment
When it comes to environmental corporate responsibility, there are multiple types of sustainable practices, including energy efficiency improvements, paper recycling projects, single-use plastic bans, reusable cup distribution, certain types of volunteer or community work in the local community, renewable energy generation, RECs, carbon offsets, VPPAs, carbon accounting, water efficiency projects, meeting Fairtrade standards, and many more possibilities.
The immensity of options can be challenging, and it exemplifies how ‘sustainability’ can be an empty term if not properly applied. Although this sounds like a nice word, there is a lot of marketing power in defining your strategies and explaining what you do and how they work. The more data and expertise you demonstrate, the more consumers will believe that your organization cares about the environment.
The upside is that such vastness creates room for basically any business create some type of sustainability project. This doesn’t need to apply to globally renowned multinational organizations only. Instead of starting with an overwhelmingly ambitious plan, small businesses can start with simpler steps, so they can generate customer awareness while doing what is feasible.
Don’t think stakeholders will get frustrated if you describe your sustainability efforts in more detail. It can actually be the opposite.
How to avoid Greenwashing
According to a publication by the Harvard Business Review, research in Europe found that 42% of green claims were exaggerated, false, or deceptive, which points to greenwashing on an industrial scale. A perspective that decreases the business’s credibility and, consequentially, its potential.
If anything is framed incorrectly, or dishonestly, it possibly can run into serious legal issues and image crisis. The solution to avoid all these problems is simple though. Your marketing needs to be aligned with your actual environmental efforts. Never falsify data, surveys, or talk about projects that weren’t made. Working with the truth and not using vague terms such as “eco-friendly”, “green”, or “sustainable” are essential steps to avoid an image crisis.
Other points to highlight:
- Before emphasizing a single environmental attribute, analyze other impacts the company may have, including social responsibility and local communities. Tie any lose ends first if your organization isn’t 100% sure of its social and environmental impacts.
- When working on green marketing strategies, mistakes can and should be avoided via team collaboration. Before broadcasting how sustainable your business is, verify and improve all related areas of the business working with multiple teams.
- Being specific about your corporate environmental responsibility is the best choice to avoid confusion and different interpretations of your company’s announcements.
Relying on governmental standards and trusted groups
Although properly promoting a corporate sustainability plan can be challenging, there are some safe places for organizations to start from. A big part of that comes from relying on the standards and guides by governments and certified agencies, both public and private.
In Canada, environmental claims that raise issues will be examined on a case-by-case basis and assessed on their own merits. The government website informs that the Competition Act prohibits performance claims that are not based on adequate and proper testing. This includes any form of statement, warranty, or guarantee of a product’s performance, efficacy, or length of life. Performance claims provide consumers with important information about products or services that allow them to make informed purchasing decisions.
Investing time to create an “image crisis prevention guide” is important to know where to start and to avoid actions without a previous plan. What happened? What caused noise in the communication? What was the business mistake? Create smart solutions starting from there.
The golden rule is not to make false promises to regain your reputation in the case of an image crisis. It is better to compromise with four achievable goals and meet them than to announce eight ambitious goals and barely meet six.
Don’t make environmental claims that you are not sure of. There are multiple standards, both globally and locally, that you can rely on from both governmental and institutional sources. These will help you define the right tone and terminology for your marketing campaigns, as well as get your sustainability initiatives verified.
This makes it even more important to trust your sustainability projects to experienced, trusted agencies that work under the set of rules established for your target markets. Even large companies with corporate sustainability managers can benefit from partnering with specialized groups that can not only estimate and measure emissions but also provide custom solutions for their environmental goals.
At EnergyRates.ca, we can assist companies in quantifying and reporting emissions data, as well as facilitating renewable energy and other net-zero targets. After consulting with us, we’ll work with you to define the boundaries of the emissions data to determine what’s needed for your selected framework.
You can reach us via web form or calling us at 1-780-628-1861.
Calculating your company’s emissions
When we receive calls from customers, our energy experts always highlight that before having an action plan or marketing sustainability initiatives, you need to measure your GHG emissions. Once that is solved, it is easier to map out the areas that need the most attention and where to start.
After that, businesses can define the solutions, like Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs), Carbon Offsets, or another applicable sustainable product.
To support your business in the energy transition, we can assist you in all the stepsof calculating emissions to develop, based on the scenario, a sustainability plan via the purchase of green energy and offsetting carbon emissions. Our team works with energy consumption data analysis, energy billing audits, renewable / green energy credits acquisition, retail energy reviews, and more. Our work is done based on the verification and disclosure standards by organizations such as the CDP.
The Disclosure Insight Action (CPD), founded in 2000, is a not-for-profit charity which provides science-based targets besides a clearly defined pathway for investors, companies, cities, states and regions to define and manage their environmental impacts. The objective is to outline changes based on internal data.
Once your company’s green changes are according to the CDP guidelines, its efforts can be scored on the CDP website. To receive an A or B score, CDP says the companies must demonstrate both awareness of their impacts on the environment, deforestation and water security, and appropriate actions taken to reduce these in line with the 1.5-degree trajectory laid out in the Paris Agreement.
In 2023, more than 400 companies scored an A for their leadership in environmental transparency and performance on climate change, deforestation, and water security; 24% more than in 2022, and over 140% more than disclosures in 2020. This shows the growth of greener practices from small to large companies on a global scale.
We can help your company in all these steps of the calculation, transition, verification, and disclosure.
Energy-related corporate sustainability possibilities
VPPAs offer tangible results when it comes to companies looking to contribute to a reduced carbon footprint, a greener environment, and increased corporate social responsibility. Read more.
Renewable Energy Certificates and Credits (RECs) are a commodity that represents one megawatt-hour electricity (1 MWh) produced by a renewable energy facility. When a company buys RECs of equivalent value to the company’s energy consumption, the company offsets the power they’ve sourced from traditional energy sources by funding the green generators that supply the energy grid. Read more.
Carbon Offsets or Greenhouse Gas Offsets are a commodity that you can purchase as a counterweight to your emissions. One offset is equivalent to one metric ton of carbon dioxide (CO2e) absorbed or prevented from release. Read more.
LEED® Certification establishes a metric for measuring the energy efficiency and sustainability of buildings, from the beginning of construction to completion, operation and maintenance. Read more.
BOMA Best® Certification is a certification program to assess the environmental impact and performance of existing buildings. Read more.
Because such projects can be verified and follow standardized disclosure guidelines, they can be quite effective as part of marketing your sustainability efforts.
If you still have questions about your corporate energy options, you can contact us at 1-780-628-1861. Our team is prepared not only for a green energy consultation but also to support your team with documentation and reports that will make it easier for you to market renewable energy and sustainability projects.
