Many brands are worried about their carbon footprint (and rightly so). But communication itself can drive change, too. In this blog, our Strategy Lead, Daniel Salzer, explores why.
I often get the question: You work in sustainability communications, but what about the action? The real tangible change we need? Is what you do actually making any difference?
As a marketing agency, we don’t save the world – our superpower is to help those who can.
The impact of sustainability communication
Many brands are worried about their carbon footprint (and rightly so). But they often forget that sometimes, change can start with engaging communication that shapes public perception, influences behaviours and empowers people to take action.
At Enviral, we see the climate breakdown as a communication challenge. 70% of customers want brands to take a stand on issues that matter to them, with climate change ranking among the top concerns.
The problem is that most sustainability communications today are veritable sleeping pills. We need to be the antidote to that, get people excited and maybe not onto the streets but at least on their feet.
A guide to save the world from boring sustainability communications
All too often, sustainability communication is shackled by the category codes of the sustainability space, uninspiring and generic, detached from whoever is talking. If we want our audiences to take real action, we need to dare to break those tedious category codes and be more disruptive.
By this, we mean challenging convention, being more bold, breaking taboos and getting out of our creative comfort zones, whether through branding and campaigns or internal staff initiatives. This will help you position your businesses as thought leaders, influencers, and lobbyists capable of setting trends and driving change within your industry.
Let’s look at some examples below.
Clean Air Win
We launched the Clean Air Wins campaign in London for C40 Cities, a global network of city mayors united to take action on the climate crisis, in collaboration with the UK Healthy Air Coalition. The campaign aimed to tackle a critical but often overlooked issue: air pollution, which is the single most significant environmental risk to public health.
The challenge was making the invisible threat of toxic air tangible. Our solution? A simple, powerful message: “If you wouldn’t drink it, why breathe it?” By comparing dirty air to polluted water, we helped people visualise the pollution they inhale.
To engage Londoners, we partnered with TikTok star Omar Fruit Flan for VoxPop interviews in key boroughs. It offers an opportunity for diverse residents to have their say, share authentic opinions, and provide honest responses.
Even with its focus on one city, the campaign resonated widely, reaching over 50,000 viewers through Voxpop and bringing much-needed attention to this vital issue. This proves that effective communication can simplify complex issues, making abstract threats tangible and relatable through powerful messaging and visuals.
Essity
Essity, the company that owns brands like Libero, Bodyform, Libresse, Saba, and TENA, has a history of breaking taboos and promoting equality through its campaigns and initiatives.
Some of its most memorable communications include campaigns like “Blood Normal,” the first TV ad for period products to use red instead of blue liquid, “Viva La Vulva” an ode to the female body, “Befriend your Body,” a campaign to help normalise conversations about the female body and “The Last Lonely Menopause,” a campaign to encourage conversations about menopause.
Essity is a forerunner and role model in this category. Not only are they challenging societal norms, but they also encourage important conversations and meaningful change around these stigmatising and important issues.
Asics
Asics recently used communications to advocate for a shared value with its customers: movement, while tapping into a timely and common problem for many office workers: sitting at a desk.
As more businesses pull staff back to the office full-time, Asics launched The Desk Break Clause, an employment contract clause giving workers the legal right to an additional 15-minute movement break during the working day.
The campaign was inspired by findings from a recent study, State of Mind, which highlighted that our mental state starts to decline after just two hours of continuous desk-based working.
You might think this is a small thing. Sure, our future doesn’t depend upon it but it’s still a great nudge to drive some important social behaviour change, most importantly for employers to encourage and reflect upon.
Spotify
With more than 600 million monthly active users, Spotify has an important role in educating listeners and encouraging climate action. Spotify partners with climate scientists to give listeners accurate information and amplify diverse voices and perspectives.
5 ways to save the world from boring sustainability communications
- Be a good storyteller: People are 22 times more likely to remember information when it’s delivered through a story instead of only using cold facts.
- Break taboos: Don’t shy away from difficult conversations. Address topics or social taboos directly in your messaging to engage audiences and encourage meaningful conversations.
- Blow shit up: Audiences are more likely to engage with content when it’s presented in unexpected and creative ways. Whether it’s through video, clever campaigns, or using humour to tackle serious issues.
- Begin here: Begin where you are, as you are, with realistic ambitions. Think big, but start small. Show how everyday actions contribute to bigger social and environmental goals. This will make you more credible and make your initiatives feel more achievable and inclusive.
- Back it up: Collaborate with experts or community leaders to show your message is backed by evidence and grounded in real-world experiences.
Strong sustainability communications can drive real change. Just make sure you are credible and know what you are talking about. Make sure it’s true to you as a brand and consistent with your wider brand narrative. Last but not least, help us save the world from boring sustainability communications. Our planet and our people deserve better.
Want to know how we do it? Get in touch at hello@enviral.co.uk