Sustainability communications
What’s the value of a good sustainability performance if nobody knows about it? Communicating your success is an essential part of extracting value from your sustainability programme.
Successful communications demands good stories well told – and retold by others. And because your audiences are so diverse, you need help in finding them and attracting their attention.
We specialise in developing communications strategies and then helping you communicate.
Communications strategy
A sustainability communications strategy will clearly identify objectives, audiences, key messages, channels (traditional and digital) and tactics. Your plan will ensure that all sustainability messaging supports and fortifies your broader corporate communications.
Channels
The rapid growth of digital channels, from tweets to blogs and social networking, has added a wide range of options to traditional media. Choosing the right channels is hard. But the principles remain the same: identify the audience, choose the channels that will provide the best access, and then use appropriate tactics to tell your story.
Tactics
Your actions to improve your social and environmental performance will seldom make the news. But your progress and insights will have great value in positioning you as a thought leader.
For example, we will help you tell your story in executive speeches, written by those who know the audience and understand the issues. We will develop policy ideas in white papers and work with your partners in research organisations and industry bodies to produce readable research reports. We will write case studies and make sure they are read by those who will retell your story. We will help you blog and tweet (if appropriate).
Case studies
Raising GSK’s profile
GSK wanted to communicate its approach and activities to increasing access to medicines in developing countries. We worked with the company to identify opinion leaders including media contacts and NGOs, and to develop a communications plan to reach these groups. This included meeting with people across GSK to determine newsworthy stories. We continue working with GSK to spread understanding and stimulate debate on access to medicines.
Helping Unilever get the message across
With Unilever we helped devise and write a series of four-page vignettes bringing to life activities ranging from climate-friendly ice-cream chillers to sustainable fishing. As well as being mailed directly to members of our Global CS Who’s Who, summaries of these stories form a central part of Unilever’s website, helping to convey key messages.
The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB) report
TEEB is building a comprehensive and compelling economic case for the conservation of biodiversity. It is the biodiversity equivalent to the Stern Review on Climate Change, aiming to reach an audience of global policymakers, economists and business people to stimulate action preventing biodiversity loss. Context edited the TEEB interim report, launched at the Conference of the Parties of the Biodiversity Convention in May 2008.
World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD): Energy Efficiency in Buildings (EEB) project
EEB gathered 14 multinationals from the building and energy sectors in Europe, North America and Japan to develop a business view on how to slash energy use in buildings – typically 40% of the total energy input in most countries. Context worked with the project team for three years to help develop the ideas and communicate them through publications and a blog. Our role included organising a workshop on the role of behaviour in energy use.
Helping Unilever communicate on biofuels
The science surrounding biofuels is complex and contested. The issue is important for Unilever, the global consumer goods business, because using biofuels from food crops can affect food and raw material prices. Context helped Unilever communicate its views in advance of proposed EU legislation. We worked with the public affairs team and technical experts to create a briefing, outlining their recommendations for the sustainable use of biofuels. The document was used in discussions with policy-makers and NGOs, and distributed to key employees.
To discuss how Context can help your organisation, contact Simon Propper (Europe) and Peter T. Knight (U.S.).
Find out more in our new publication CS Excellence in Context.