The term ‘greenwashing’ might be officially outdated. In 2016, the number of companies making unmerited PR splashes over sustainability is far outweighed by those who are taking significant strides forward and not talking about it. When faced with the science of climate change and transparency into corporate accountability in 2016, sustainability is simply part of doing business.
Yet many leading companies still shy away from fully embracing their sustainability stories. Excellent, groundbreaking work is happening across the private sector with no-one around to hear. To re-philosophize the old saying … if a tree grows in a deforestation zone, and no one is around to hear the re-surging wildlife, does it make an impact?
Unfortunately, the answer is no.
Corporate sustainability has reached new heights, driven new innovations and industries, and been embedded at the core of business strategy and systems, yet there are still barriers to sharing this information publicly.
Having just surfaced from taking a deep dive into Environmental Defense Fund’s 10-year history of working with Walmart, I’m particularly focused on all the great corporate sustainability stories that need to be told. As an environmental NGO that has partnered on the ground with leading brands for over 25 years, EDF is keenly aware that companies are often doing considerably more sustainability work than they publicize. Why is this? It could be out of fear of greenwashing; fear of financial stakeholders assuming that mindshare has been taken away from the next quarter’s earnings; or perhaps fear of being perceived as irrelevant to their target audiences.
t’s time to go beyond the annual sustainability report and engage deeply on these stories. PepsiCo did an excellent job of this with their How Will We microsite, launched contiguously to its latest sustainability report. PepsiCo’s chairman and CEO, Indra Nooyi, picked up the pen herself to call for strong heavy-duty truck standards that are good for business and the environment in a recent op-ed with EDF’s Fred Krupp.
So many companies have impactful, innovative, brand-building sustainability stories that aren’t being heard. Excellent work is being done, but often in a marketing vacuum. Making sure these stories are shared is what fuels me — along with a lot of Starbucks. To read more click here.
