Making the connection: What does a winning sustainability communications strategy look like?

From breaking down interdepartmental language barriers to aligning specific CSR targets with broader corporate goals, effective communication techniques have become something of an art form among sustainability professionals in recent times. So, what does a successful, all-encompassing communications strategy look like?


Ahead of edie’s Sustainability Communications Conference in May (scroll down for more details), we’ve asked the experts from across a range of sectors to share their top tips for achieving an effective communications campaign.

READ THE GUIDE TO SUSTAINABILITY COMMUNICATIONS HERE

The experts’ top tips have been brought together into a concise, four-page guide that will be relevant for sustainability and CSR professionals across industry. The guide incorporates an array of real-life examples to highlight how effective communication methods are often now the difference between sustainability teams being inspirational or simply being ignored.

HSBC’s senior manager for environmental programmes Sue Alexander, GSK’s corporate responsibility engagement manager Hannah Green, and Croda’s vice president of corporate sustainability Chris Sayner are among those quoted in the guide.

Providing advice on using the right language across the company, Alexander says: “You can share your same message in many different languages to your different recipients.

“Always talk in their language – make it simple for them to absorb. It’s easy to get stuck in our own acronyms, which won’t mean anything to people in a different sector of industry. Learn what language your audience uses and apply this to your messages.”

‘Making the connection: Your guide to effective sustainability communications’ is available to download and read for free, here.


Sustainability Communications Conference

edie’s fifth Sustainability Communications Conference will showcase the most effective solutions and inspiring stories that use the full communications spectrum to engage diverse audiences today and in the future.

Taking place at 99 City Road Conference Centre in London on 16 May 2017, the Conference will discuss everything from tackling ‘sustainability fatigue’ through to optimising partnerships between business and NGOs.

Find out more about the Conference and register to attend here.


Matt Mace

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