The Ultimate Guide to Sustainability Communications: Strategies for Impact
This article explores key strategies for sustainability communications and why they are essential for all companies, regardless of their industry or political stance. Companies nowadays have to satisfy a huge range of sustainability-related communications for a variety of stakeholders, from disclosures to crisis management and customer communications. Issues arise when communications and marketing teams lack the necessary in-depth understanding of sustainability — and sustainability teams lack the expertise in crafting clear, impactful communications and storytelling. Sustainability communications bridges the area between these two teams while bringing in necessary expertise from across the organisations, including from accounting, procurement, HR, and leadership teams.
Why Sustainability Communications Matter
The secret top companies have understood about sustainability is that sustainability goals are directly translatable to business goals. When sustainability is seen as a strategic imperative, it can also be transformed into impactful messages. In turn, companies that effectively communicate their sustainability efforts can:
Showcase their operations and products confidently, knowledgeably and in the best possible light.
Build trust and transparency with consumers, investors, and stakeholders.
Differentiate themselves in competitive markets by showcasing purpose-driven initiatives.
Comply with regulatory frameworks and reporting requirements.
In the end, sustainability is almost always a PR issue. But it is also a complex communications landscape where messages have to be tailored for a wide variety of stakeholders.
Where most companies trip up in their sustainability communications is that they try to use the same messages on all of their channels. Instead, we need to tailor sustainability disclosures which speak to the investors and regulators, and that can affect the company’s sustainability ratings. At the same time, we need to craft compelling sustainability storytelling for internal stakeholder, which helps them to internalise the company’s stance on sustainability, boosting employee branding and satisfaction. Equally, we have to be able to speak to our clients and target audience on external channels using sustainability messaging that touches them — while remaining consistent in our communications across all of these platforms. And this is where it can get tricky!
How Our Language and Attitudes Around Sustainability Have Changed
Before diving into the intricacies of today’s sustainability communications, it is important to understand that it is an incredibly dynamic field. Many sustainability communications experts will agree that majority of their time goes into research and keeping up with the latest developments. Therefore, it is useful to understand that the way we talk about sustainability has changed dramatically over the past few decades, reflecting shifting priorities, evolving business strategies, and a growing sense of urgency. From early environmental concerns to today’s focus on circularity and regenerative practices, the language of sustainability has shaped—and been shaped by—our attitudes and actions.
In the 1970s and 1980s, sustainability discourse was largely rooted in conservation and environmental protection. The language centered around preserving natural resources, pollution prevention, and protecting biodiversity. Concepts like “acid rain” and “ozone depletion” dominated discussions, and activism played a key role in shaping public awareness. By the 1990s and early 2000s, businesses began integrating sustainability into their operations. Terms like corporate social responsibility (CSR) and triple bottom line (people, planet, profit) became popularised. The focus was on balancing economic growth with environmental and social considerations. The rise of eco-friendly, green products, and carbon footprints reflected a growing consumer demand for responsible business practices.
Since then, the conversation has shifted from reducing harm to actively creating positive impact. The concept of circular economy has gained traction, emphasising resource efficiency, waste reduction, and closed-loop systems. Net zero, carbon neutrality, and supply chain transparency have become key buzzwords.The shift in language also reflects a deeper integration of sustainability into financial decision-making. ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) has become a standard framework for assessing corporate responsibility, influencing investment decisions and regulatory policies.
Today, the conversation is moving beyond sustainability towards regenerative and impact-driven models. Instead of just minimising harm, the focus is on restoring ecosystems, rebuilding communities, and creating long-term resilience. Words like nature-positive, biodiversity restoration, and planetary boundaries are central to discussions. The evolution of sustainability language mirrors our collective journey. Simultaneously, we are also experiencing some pushback for the term ESG and what it signifies for businesses. For this reason, many companies are now choosing to pull back on using ESG in their sustainability communications, and are instead returning to previous terms like ‘sustainability and impact.’
Key Issues Companies Face Around Sustainability Communications
Sustainability has become a critical focus for companies across industries, but effectively communicating sustainability efforts remains a complex challenge. Consumers, investors, and regulators expect transparency, yet the risk of greenwashing or greenhushing, inconsistent messaging, and stakeholder skepticism can make sustainability communications a difficult balancing act.
One of the biggest pitfalls in sustainability communications is greenwashing — making misleading claims about environmental efforts. With increasing scrutiny from consumers and watchdog organisations, vague language without clear evidence can backfire spectacularly. Companies must ensure their claims are credible, data-backed, and verifiable to build trust. This leads to a further problem in sustainability communications, once the fluffy claims are trimmed away, many companies simply have nothing to say. This makes it important to look at sustainability communications holistically and put in the work to establish the necessary strategies, roadmaps and reports.
Sustainability is often a technical and complex field, involving intricate supply chains, regulatory frameworks, and scientific metrics. Communicating these efforts in an accessible way, without oversimplifying or overwhelming the audience, is a major challenge. Companies must find the right balance between transparency, clarity, and engagement.
Effective sustainability communications require cross-functional collaboration to ensure a unified and coherent strategy. Different audiences, customers, investors, employees, and regulators, also have varying expectations regarding sustainability communications. While consumers may respond to compelling storytelling, investors demand measurable impact and regulatory compliance. Companies must tailor their messaging to different stakeholders while maintaining a consistent sustainability narrative.
To navigate these challenges, businesses must prioritise authenticity, transparency, and clarity in their sustainability communications. By using data-driven storytelling, aligning internal teams, and addressing stakeholder concerns head-on, companies can build trust and turn sustainability into a competitive advantage.
Building an Effective Sustainability Communications Strategy
A successful sustainability communications strategy starts with a clear understanding of your company’s sustainability goals and the audiences you need to engage.
Whether addressing consumers, investors, employees, or regulators, messaging must be tailored to their specific concerns and expectations. Transparency is key — stakeholders want to see not only successes but also challenges and areas for improvement. By setting measurable targets, using credible data, and maintaining consistency across all communication channels, you can build trust and demonstrate a genuine commitment to sustainability.
For your sustainability communications strategy, it is good to start with the following cornerstones:
1. Define Your Sustainability Narrative
Your sustainability narrative should reflect your organisation’s values, goals, and commitments. A strong narrative is:
Authentic: Grounded in real actions and measurable impact.
Consistent: Aligned across all communication channels and stakeholder interactions.
Compelling: Crafted in a way that resonates with audiences and encourages engagement.
2. Identify and Understand Your Audience
Sustainability communications should be tailored to different stakeholder groups, including:
Consumers: Educate and engage them in your sustainability efforts.
Employees: Empower internal teams to be brand ambassadors for sustainability.
Investors and business partners: Showcase long-term value and risk mitigation strategies.
Regulators and policymakers: Align messaging with sustainability regulations and goals.
3. Use Clear and Transparent Messaging
Avoid vague claims or greenwashing; be clear, honest, and specific about your sustainability efforts. Best practices include:
Data-driven communication — Use measurable impact metrics.
Third-party certifications — Leverage credible certifications to validate claims.
Storytelling — Share real-life examples and case studies of your impact.
Pros and cons — Do not shy away from showcasing area you need to put more work into
Effective sustainability communications require a strategic, transparent, and engaging approach. Whether you're just beginning or refining your strategy, investing in sustainability communications is key to long-term success. It also ensures that you will get the maximum benefit out of complying with sustainability reporting requirements, such as the CSRD.
Do you need help with your sustainability communications strategy? Get in touch and we are happy to help!
