Communication critical to sustainability success

NATIONWIDE RT REPORT—Sustainability can be a prickly topic, even for companies trying to executive environmental programs. With public skepticism high, it’s critical for retailers to have a communications strategy as they approach environmental initiatives, said Thomas Basile, a former director of communications for the United States Environmental Protection Agency, who is establishing a sustainability practice for Middleberg Communications.

On other issues, cooperation between business and interest groups develop. For example, organic food enthusiasts and major companies have cooperated on promoting natural foods, although the relationship is showing strain these days. But environmental activists have always been critical of business. Even government environmental officials have often had an adversarial relationship to business, noted Basile.

Retailers, therefore, need to consider how they might set their own standards for communications on sustainability initiatives. Ironically, Basile said, retailers must bring to the table parties that might otherwise be adversaries to sustainability issues.

“To be credible, companies have to be willing to bring the government regulators and environmentalists along as part of process,” he said. “The retailers want to be able to develop messaging that discusses how being more sustainable can be part of building brand value for the investment made in sustainable practices.”

Identifying the retail brand directly with sustainability programs helps extract maximum value from environmental efforts, so accepting input from interest groups is important not only in establishing credibility but in deflecting attacks that might damage the brand.

“People get something wrong and those people get accused of green washing because they formulate the message before creating coalitions,” Basile said, “To develop a credible strategy, the strategy should, optimally, be integrated from the start.”

A local focus can help retailers build coalitions. Local groups and regulators are focused on issues that directly affect a retailer’s customers, and, having fewer resources, they may be looking for support.

Big national and multiregional chains should continue to work on large-scale projects, as initiatives such as cutting electricity use and employing green building practices save money, fulfill requirements for utilities and put them in a green light. Utilities, trade associations and groups such as the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design have emerged as resources for businesses building broad, basic sustainability efforts. Still, cutting back on electricity isn’t necessarily going to impress bay-side towns concerned about the impact of rainwater runoff from store parking lots or urban communities confronting waste disposal challenges.

Partnering with outside interest groups has several advantages for a communications strategy on sustainability. Retailer enthusiasm about sustainability efforts can lead to exaggerated claims for a program that antagonists might exploit. Environmental groups and regulators can guide retailers on what they can and should say. Then, if a claim is questioned, those partners are available to lend support and credibility.

Employees, having familiarity with both company and community, also can contribute by offering insights into how a company can reach out to customers on pressing environmental issues. And getting employees involved allows them to express their environmental passions at work, producing new ideas and boosting job satisfaction.