Sustainability is evolving. Ambitious target-setting, grandiose commitments and the notion of purpose over (or alongside) profit are on the wane.
Now communicators face a new challenge: how to tell the stories of a more pragmatic era of climate action without losing audiences – internally and externally – to cynicism or, worse still, apathy.
But before that question is answered, let’s not pretend that this more mature era isn’t welcome. I don’t believe many of us will look back too fondly on its predecessor of climate positivism, which sold consumers the dream of guilt-free flights and sustainable oil and gas investments. Even a carbon-neutral World Cup… featuring seven newly built stadia… in the middle of a country that cannot naturally grow green grass.
In this new era, ESG decks have been replaced by carbon roadmaps. ROI forecasts adorn annual reports in the place of green imagery and hopeful hashtags. Forensic detail underpins this more mature approach to measuring progress.
This is a challenge and an opportunity for communicators.
We needn’t reinvent the wheel. Quite the opposite. We need to balance this deep complexity with the simplicity of our storytelling.
How?
Start with language. Translate technical milestones – what can often be an alphabet soup of corporate commitments – into tangible impacts. What does a Scope 3 emissions reduction mean for your customers, the communities you serve and the people you employ? Context is everything.
Then tell the story properly. Challenge. Action. Outcome. Frame progress in a way that feels real and relatable. Visual storytelling can play a massive role. But create content that actually shows human beings – the engineers, suppliers, customers, consumers who are impacted by your sustainability strategy. Use their voices and their natural enthusiasm to do the talking. This is something I was proud to do while working for Coca-Cola Europacific Partners this year, turning its investment in AI-sourced sustainable ingredients into a human story. Simple, people-centric stories – rooted in the detail and transparency of a mature environmental strategy.
And let’s not mistake profit and commercial gain for the enemy. If sustainability doesn’t make commercial sense, it won’t last. A credible sustainability strategy should create value, not just virtue. If it stabilises your supply chain, reduces energy costs or wins customer trust, say so.
Sustainability comms is a balancing act between complexity and clarity, but that’s where good communicators earn their keep. We know how to simplify without dumbing down. We know how to communicate ambition without drifting into fantasy.
And finally, let’s not forget what we’re up against here. Our opposition has the most effective call-to-inaction ever: “Don’t bother. We’re already fucked.” It’s simple, emotional, and devastatingly persuasive. To compete with that, we need to communicate sustainability in a way that is real and robust – and powerfully personal.
Matt Hubbard is a communications consultant who has been working in-house with Coca-Cola Europacific Partners.