Many organisations have built up considerable sustainability performance, but fail to translate it into a story that convinces people. Their ESG reports are often complete but not accessible. The sustainability pages on their website are generic. In campaigns, they communicate about sustainability without setting themselves apart from their competitors.

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At the same time, the risk of greenhushing is growing. Companies that communicate less and less about sustainability out of caution lose ground with customers who make deliberate choices, with investors who factor in ESG performance and with employees who want to work for an organisation that stands for something.

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A strong sustainability story is more than a marketing layer applied to your reporting after the fact. It is an authentic narrative of what you do and what you want to achieve as an organisation – well-substantiated, honest and aligned with what your audiences really want to know.

We build your sustainability story on what your organisation actually does. We start from your materiality analysis and sustainability strategy. Insight into your audiences and your competitive position is also essential.

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We work in four steps:

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1. From strategy to story – Which sustainability achievements and strategic choices are the most relevant from a communications perspective? We select them on the basis of materiality, distinctiveness and insight into your audiences.
2. Positioning and key messages – We define your sustainability positioning: what you stand for, how you differ from your competitors and how to express that consistently. We develop key messages that can be used across every channel and audience.
3. Narrative and proof points – We write the storyline that carries your positioning and the proof points that substantiate every claim, with a tone of voice that suits your brand and sector. We avoid vague ambitions and build a story that is specific and credible.
4. Communication assets and channel strategy – We translate the narrative into assets: copy for your website and annual report, presentations for investors or customers, social media content and talking points for sales. All tailored to what your audiences want to know and how they want to receive it.

A strong story begins with accurate claims and ends with the right audiences. Logical steps before and after are:

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• Sustainability strategy and roadmap: A strong story presupposes a strong strategy. We always build communications on an existing or simultaneously developed sustainability strategy – so that your story does not run ahead of what your organisation actually delivers.
• Green claims & EmpCo compliance: Before you communicate, you want to be sure that your claims will stand up. We assess your communications against the EmpCo requirements and help you arrive at claims that are safe to make.
• External ESG communications: Your story is clear – now you want to use it in a targeted way with specific stakeholders: investors, customers, the media or employees. We help you find the right approach for each audience.
• Sustainability reporting: Your sustainability report forms the factual basis of your story. We make sure that reporting and communications reinforce each other rather than exist side by side.