It’s fair to say that Shell is no stranger to protest. Multiple campaign groups having exercised their right to free speech outside the oil giant’s HQ over the years.
But a stunt conducted by comedian and Great British Sewing Bee presenter Jo Lycett in October 2021 was of particular interest to those in marketing and communications due to its use of the technique of subvertising – a guerrilla style takeover of traditional ad formats with convincing but contrary fakes.
The comedian and TV presenter arrived outside the firm’s London offices in a yellow bus painted with a mural of a mock Shell advert featuring the caption ‘We’re turning our carbon emissions green for earth day’.
Clearly the stunt was not an approved Shell initiative but the attention Lycett achieved gave him an instant platform on which to comment about the firm’s record on climate, stating that in his view Shell were doing “brilliant things” by investing in renewables, but that the ratio of Shell’s focus on renewables in relation to their focus on fossil fuels was “unacceptable”.
When considered alongside another climate campaign launched the same week, targeting the advertising industry over its role supporting major polluters and featuring 200 + bus stop poster spaces being hijacked with spoof ads in the UK, Paris and Belgium, the activities begin to deserve more serious reflection.
The ethics of the oil and gas sector are extremely complex and will continue to be so. But what was clear from both of these campaigns was that neither was exclusively designed to draw attention to the environmental impact of the extractive industries. In fact, they were primarily focussed on highlighting the attempts organisations targeted had made to give the impression of doing more good than harm. In short both campaigns were specifically designed to highlight the issue of greenwashing.
In our role as a purpose driven communications agency, we at Verity London pride ourselves on a commitment to truth, openness and transparency. And as we edge closer to becoming a BCorp these are qualities that run throughout our company DNA.
Given this, the concept of greenwash is as far from our modus operandi as it could possibly be, and in the spirit of complete honesty, we actually find it quite hard to understand the appeal. Because any purpose strategy built on ‘shifting sand’ will always wash away at the first high tide.
Our experience has always been that by adopting an approach to communicating environmental commitments that is well-rounded and importantly well-grounded, an organisation can much better articulate an authentic, transparent agenda on climate that is not only aligned with wider organisational responsible business strategy but is genuinely sustainable in the truest sense of the word (I.e. built to last). This way absolutely avoiding any potential for greenwash, something we touch on this in a previous blog.
To get an idea of how to articulate your green agenda authentically we recommend considering the following 5 questions:
Establishing where you are regarding your climate commitments and where you want to be in the future is vitally important. In this way you can set goals and communicate as you progress.
But remember, no organisation is ever perfect regarding climate, so expressing your aspirations and the journey you plan to get there is just as important as celebrating your eventual achievement.
This approach can also help you start to consider which initiatives and which metrics could be most relevant to help get you where you want your organisation to be in the future.
Overall, the single most important thing to remember is to never, ever overclaim. As the UN Global Compact explain in this article you should seek to set strategic, ambitious, achievable sustainability goals, that are ideally linked to the UN Sustainable Development Goals. But once you have done so, always make sure that what you say about our work towards these goals mirrors the reality. There is no role for greenwash.
Sustainability and climate are not something that should stand apart from wider corporate commitments. Just as climate change has an impact on society, so too should the work you do on climate link to your wider operations and impact.
This means that as well as any proactive environmental initiatives such as recycling or sponsorship, you should also consider your ‘business as usual’ too. Technical innovations, governance and legislative compliance, product design, energy usage, waste management, travel and importantly investment as highlighted by the UK Government’s new Green Finance Map. In this way you can ensure that sustainability is not considered a ‘project’ only for a few specific individuals in your business to worry about, but a whole organisation’s state of mind.
Any responsible business strategy needs a clear and easily understood narrative. This will explain what responsible business means for your organisation, why it is important and how you have decided to ensure it is embedded in your company.
This narrative becomes the messaging you use with all of your stakeholders or audiences. It forms the basis of communiques from your senior leadership team, it should be present on your website, your annual review, the documents used to hire and onboard your people, within procurement and tenders and in your customer comms. There is no limit to how useful a strong, coherent story can be.
However, your narrative is not going to be exclusively about climate. Clearly the role of a responsible business is manifold and other focus areas that climate may for example sit alongside your focus on people and the communities in which you operate.
If you don’t have cohesive overarching messaging for your responsible business, then consider developing it, or discussing your needs with Verity London so we can take you through our process for helping define and embed how you drive meaningful social impact. This is very often a starting point for our work with clients, as the development of a narrative can really help provide the building block for your purpose as an organisation.
Are you engaging employees in your activity? Are you using your sustainability narrative to deepen relations with clients, win new business, attract new talent or ultimately drive positive climate change in an accountable, transparent way?
Communicating your sustainability is a great opportunity to engage, inspire and motivate all of your key stakeholders. Something backed with research such as that conducted by Deloitte in their consumer attitudes survey which found that 1 in 3 of those surveyed in 2021 had stopped purchasing certain brands or products because they had ethical or sustainability related concerns, or the Reuters report which found in 2020 that 65% of 2000 survey respondents in the UK were more likely to work for a company with strong environmental policies.
Whichever way you cut it, environmental sustainability is of great interest right now, so if you have your stakeholders’ attention why not make use of it? There are doubtless many stories your organisation can tell about your environmental commitments and just as many ways to do so. Your sustainability journey could be reported as part of your website, social media, customer comms, internal comms, analysts’ briefings, recruitment materials, videos, podcasts, at events, through your product marketing and so much more.
Ultimately though, by communicating your approach, you are publicly formalising a commitment to your environmental journey, so be certain that you can stand by the commitments you express.
Since 2013 the Companies Act has required all UK quoted companies to report on their greenhouse gas emissions as part of their annual Directors’ Report. Since 2019 quoted companies must report on their global energy use and large businesses disclose their UK annual energy use and greenhouse gas emissions. And as the UK Chancello, Rishi Sunak confirmed in October , new legislation now requires large businesses to set out their green credentials to ensure Businesses and consumers will have a better understanding of whether their investments are aligned with net zero.
This formal reporting is not the only reporting of relevance though. Communicating your environmental commitments should also form content for your annual report or stand-alone responsible business reports, or perhaps data for inclusion in your website or social media activity.
In fact, there are so many ways in which you can record your work in this space that taking time to research the right approach for your company is time well spent. But this paper from PWC could act as a useful tool to give you some ideas as well as talking to us here at Verity so we can guide you through the process of identifying the starting point for your organisation.
Ultimately, your organisation’s delivery on climate is as much about your journey as it is the destination, with many miles to be travelled and developments to be achieved along the way.
So, whether your organisation is a small business committing to a new company recycling scheme, or a major corporate with a comprehensive NetZero SBTi verified target to achieve, placing a focus on the 5 questions detailed above can guide your work and your articulation of a genuine and measurable commitment, rather than the presentation of a work of green fiction.
If you’d like to know more about how Verity London could help you develop and communicate your sustainability agenda or responsible business framework and narrative get in touch with Debra.Sobel@Veritylondon.co.uk
