Customers, Employees and Stakeholders Want to Know Your Business Battle Plan
Whether or not you believe in human-caused climate change, you should assume that a growing majority of your customers, especially younger ones, see it as make-or-break issue. They increasingly want to know what your business is doing to counter it.
Milquetoast statements, far-off goals and hollow promises won’t pass muster in the face of evidence that earth’s climate is becoming more extreme and disruptive to human existence. Passivity and denial won’t be a good PR look. Standing on the sidelines hoping no one notices won’t either.
Forbes asked its Coaches Council to “explore practical and impactful measures that businesses can undertake to contribute meaningfully to the fight against climate change.”
“As the world grapples with the urgent need to address climate change, many businesses find themselves at the intersection of stakeholders’ economic interests and environmental stewardship,” Forbes said. “In an era when corporate social responsibility goes hand in hand with profitability, implementing actions that balance both can not only bolster a company’s reputation, but also make a difference in the global effort to build a more sustainable future.”
The business magazine’s Coaches Council shared 17 suggestions to address climate change meaningfully, respond to public expectations and retain profitability. The ideas span from reducing the use of fossil fuels to giving employees a week off to volunteer on the frontlines of combatting climate change. Other ideas included a comprehensive carbon audit, implementing an environmental code of conduct and exploring ‘climate positive’ strategies.
Anna Barnhill of Barnhill Group Consulting, Inc. recommended adoption of a “circular economy model that focuses on reducing waste and maximizing resource efficiency by designing products and processes that prioritize recycling, reusing and refurbishing.” She said, “By minimizing waste and reducing resource extraction, businesses can significantly decrease their carbon footprint.”
Stephan Lendi of Newbury Media & Communications GmbH urged businesses to engage “in co-creation and ideation throughout their entire supply chains by collaborating with suppliers, partners and stakeholders to brainstorm sustainable solutions and innovations.”
Anna Tan of Coaching Go Where suggested “redesigning product packaging to use less material and digitize their operations where possible to reduce the need for printing, encouraging digital invoices, reports and communication.”
A key takeaway from these ideas – they were published in a leading business magazine. The shared ideas serve as inspiration that businesses can address climate change. They also carry the hint that businesses need to step up to the challenge.
Greenwashing Won’t Cut It
Some businesses have turned to their public relations teams for advice – or cover. Just as climate change has gained more public legitimacy in the face of drastic weather changes, the use of “greenwashing” – overstated claims, misleading language, false labels or lack of proof – has been delegitimatized. Trying to con your customers isn’t wise or likely to succeed.
“Public reaction to greenwashing has become more pronounced and critical in recent years,” writes Peter H.J. Auwerz, who provides digital media counseling to businesses. “As awareness about environmental issues and sustainability has grown, consumers have become increasingly skeptical and vigilant about greenwashing practices.”
Reactions, Auwerz says, can include a consumer backlash, social media attacks and regulatory investigations.
How PR can help is by acknowledging climate change as a serious problem and telling credible stories of how a business is doing its part to combat it. No one expects a single business, even an oil company, to solve climate change singlehandedly, so be honest and accurate in telling your story.
Expect detractors. It’s not the job of a business to prove climate change is real. But part of the job is to explain how climate change is affecting its business operations, customer needs and supply chains. This may not change the minds of doubters but it can earn respect.
Photo Credit: Matt Winkelmeyer
The fight against climate change shouldn’t be viewed as a publicity bandwagon. Instead, view it as a serious ongoing conversation with your employees, stakeholders and customers. Chris Pratt of H+K Strategies is correct in observing, “Communicators need to tread a fine line between maintaining a sense of optimism that individual actions have a positive impact on the progress to address climate change and being realistic about the limitations of that approach.”
Pratt adds, “It will be essential to provide both strong supporting evidence of the real-world impact of the change you are advocating and strong emotive arguments that capture attention and secure support.”
Consumers expect food security to be a top-of-mind concern for restaurants and grocery stores. Help create the same expectation of your commitment to address climate change in your business. Restaurants cannot afford to poison their diners. You cannot afford to overlook the impacts of climate change on your customers.
If you follow the advice of Mark Gasche of North Shore Career Management LLC and give employees a week off to volunteer in the battle against climate change, then make sure to reward them.
“Follow it up by having employees present their experiences during poster sessions,” Gasche recommends. “Provide prizes for those who are judged by their peers to have made the biggest impact.”
It’s a step toward creating a business ethos of recognizing a serious problem and taking serious steps to deal with it.
