A Breath of Fresh Air

by Pauline Mason, DipM MCIM

Time was when planting a tree was an adequate gesture to demonstrate your company’s environmental goodwill. If only it were that simple.

The climate for articulating corporate responsibility for sustainable issues has changed irrevocably during the past 12 months, driven by public opinion, media attention and now legislative focus. It is not enough to merely recycle; waste, packaging and energy must be reduced. Product, component and executive "miles" are scrutinised indiscriminately. Toxins used in manufacturing are vilified. Energy must come from renewable sources.

This new environment for green advocacy has vast implications for PR and marketing professionals. The threat of a public backlash for unintended "greenwashing" paralyses businesses into downplaying any existing environmental programmes, fearing they will not meet heightened market expectations. Is it appropriate to offset your carbon emissions? Should you use 100% recycled paper 100% of the time? Should the business install wind turbines and solar panels, or switch to a green tariff? Should you only buy British? Should you be using that much water? Will free CFL light bubs and folding bikes be received in the spirit intended?

The answers lie closer to home than you may think. To achieve sustainability, you need to balance environmental, ethical and economic factors. This is markedly different than pursuing a purely green agenda, or one of carbon neutrality, for example. In this context, profitability is not a dirty word. It is central to your existence.

Defining what your own management team believes is the right course of action to achieve sustainability - there are no right or wrong answers, here - is a crucial first step in setting the marketing agenda. Every message, every campaign should be anchored in your corporate values and core business model, which are unique to you. Sustainability is no different. Unlock your corporate DNA, and you have the code you need to defend your actions and assert your own opinions in the wider debate on climate change.

If your business has not already done so, commission an environmental audit. Knowing what action you should take against specific targets will help you to define a phased programme of action which will not cripple your bottom line in the short term. As well as delivering a heads up on areas and legislative requirements you may not have considered previously, an audit also provides a credible, independent endorsement of your actions - an invaluable asset for marketers keen not to underestimate the mood of the times.

By all means, keep planting trees. But if you wish to express your commitment to combating climate change or reducing carbon emissions, you may wish to point the cameras in an entirely different direction.