Communicating Sustainability
in the spotlight
The dynamics and pressure for change in communication and business are very powerful. Many are coping with the effects of digitalization now and are challenged to simultaneously include the theme of sustainability as the spotlight of communication activities. Sustainable business, not just destroying less or polluting less, but rather focusing on useful and harmless products, provides the “license to operate” for companies and organizations and consequently also becomes a shareholder value factor.
Stakeholder value also ranks high on the agenda: Ever since the Business Roundtable association in the USA called upon the world’s corporate leaders two years ago not just to serve the capital market but to create added value for society as a whole, sustainable management and communicating about it has become a top priority issue.
Sustainable management is based on a balance between economy, ecology and society. Leaders who focus their communications unilaterally on economic performance and figures do not obtain the results they want with their target groups.
In the area of sustainability, ecology and climate protection currently dominate for understandable reasons. This spotlight carries the risk of “greenwashing”. The current overzealousness on “green themes” can quickly come to naught or appear untrustworthy. Stakeholders expect progress on sustainable management to be measured and performance indicators to be applied. And they don’t just measure management by results. The impact of the good deed must also be demonstrable. Nowadays, mere “greenwashing” is quickly exposed and then proves to be a reputational risk. Sustainability is serious.
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Corporate Social Responsibility
Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is the top discipline in sustainability communication. Social responsibility has a hard time breaking through as a topic. At the same time, I firmly believe that CSR has the greatest potential to reach broad target groups and build reputation. After all, CSR is about the direct impact of business actions on people, whether that means employees, neighbors or the general public. It is not without reason that no purpose statement can do without a people reference. And it is not without reason that programs for more “Diversity & Inclusion” are currently booming. With CSR, companies show their social and human face – a central point in employer branding, which is more relevant than ever in times of a shortage of skilled workers. Important: Every CSR strategy must be presented authentically in communication. The challenge is to find unique content – and to anchor it as a visible element in the company. Sustainability communication only works with integrated communication. The much broader view of target groups forces close cooperation between communications, marketing and HR. Companies must align their organizations – and especially their resources – so that their messages are conveyed in a coherent way and to all target groups equally. Whereas in the past it may have been enough to focus campaigns on the target group of customers in a sales-oriented manner, today it is essential to cover broader social groups and aim for acceptance, not just sales. This is the domain of corporate communications – and therefore this function should also take the lead in this challenge.