Communications and Marketing

Getting the sustainability message out

Why is communications an important issue for companies?

Communications can mean different things depending on your company or business. In this context we are talking about how the sustainability message is designed and communicated within your business as well as externally to your customers, suppliers and other interested stakeholders such as the media.

Internal communications about your company’s sustainability activities and outcomes play a key role in raising awareness and action among your staff. It helps to build capacity and create practical environmental champions that engage with sustainability objectives in a proactive way.

External communications are equally vital in order to demonstrate your company’s commitment to sustainability and broader credibility. Be it through marketing, advertising or more general PR campaigns, your business can educate, engage and inform the market with ethical and intelligent information about your products and services.

Base your communications and marketing on good research, quality data and authoritative knowledge. Always ensure that you can clearly and confidently defend any claims you make about your organisation’s environmental performance and sustainability outcomes.

What are the design-related considerations?

Design can be used to tell a story about your product or service. Indeed in some cases ‘design’ can be the core attraction and provide the focus for your communications.

Communicating the specific EcoDesign features and themes embodied in your product or service is an explicit and interesting story that can be told to consumers and the market place in general. Describing how sustainability has been integrated through design is a meaningful angle in promoting specific performance related features and credentials. This could include information about the choice of materials and methods you choose to communicate with, for example paper, polymers, inks and energy.

How your communications and marketing content and materials are conceived and developed represents another significant opportunity for good design that is environmentally sensitive. Consider dematerialising as much of your communications and marketing by distributing information online through websites and email. Design is an invaluable tool when it comes to exploiting alternative communication channels such as email and web.

What can you do to maximise the effect of your communications and marketing activities?

• Above all, ensure that any environmental claims you make about your company, product or service are accurate and can be clearly and strongly defended on a scientific basis. Avoid adopting greenwash (or exaggerated and unsubstantiated claims) to promote your products or services.
• Misleading consumers with questionable environmental claims will attract the attention of environment groups, the Australian Consumer and Competition Commission, the Australian Consumers’ Association (ACA), as well as sceptical consumers.
• Identify and apply for relevant third-party certified environmental labels and standards such as EcoSpecifier, Good Environmental Choice Australia, EcoBuy listing, Greenhouse Friendly and other similar credible programs. This can help reduce the risk of greenwash.
• Don’t ignore effective and accurate marketing opportunities on packaging. This needs to be carefully considered to avoid greenwashing or potentially misleading claims.
• Seek the advice of experienced professionals who can assist with the design of your communications and marketing materials be it web sites, brochures or point of sale information.
• Graphic designers can assist by creating smarter printed collateral which is more resource efficient i.e. use less materials, less toxic printing, identification of environmentally preferable papers and printers.
• Exhibition, interior and industrial designers can help with identifying materials, products and companies that supply environmentally preferable products.
• The use of marketing consultants, brand strategists, graphic designers, web developers, exhibition designers and public relations consultants, can make a significant and positive difference to the standard, quality and effectiveness of your communications outcomes.
• Develop and promote an environmental policy or sustainability statement that makes sense for your business and highlights key sustainability aims, objectives and activities. Make the policy easily accessible to interested stakeholders including customers, suppliers and staff.
• Develop strategic alliances with other companies, associations and other organisations that can enhance your overall profile and status in relation to the environmental performance of your company and its products and/or services. Include alliances, which can build trust in your local community about your environmental management practices.
• Use your investment in sustainability as a way of maximising your status and profile in the marketplace and community. Consider entering environment, water, energy or sustainability awards which recognise excellence and innovation among Australian companies. Well known awards programs include: Banksia Awards, Savewater Awards, United Nations Association of Australia Environmental Awards, Australian Packaging Awards, Australian International Design Awards, DuPont Innovation Awards and the Premier’s Design Awards (Victoria).
• Be inclusive. Share information about your company’s sustainability activities freely with all members of staff. Invite input and ideas for new environmental initiatives as well as how existing ones can be improved or enhanced.
• Develop more formal staff training or provide professional development on specific environment and sustainability activities where it can benefit the company or enhance the development and/or supply of products and services. For example consider joining the Waste Wise Program administered by Sustainability Victoria.

Who else can assist with knowledge, advice and support?

Good Environmental Choice Australia

The Good Environmental Choice Label is an environmental labelling program in Australia which indicates the environmental performance of a product from a whole of product life perspective for consumer goods. The label is awarded to products that meet voluntary environmental performance standards which have been created and assessed in conformance to international environmental labelling standards. The GECA website provides information about certified products, environmental labelling in Australia, and the objectives of the program.
www.aela.org.au

Australian Competition & Consumer Commission

The ACCC has excellent information relating to environmental claims as well as guidelines for making self-declared claims. ACCC publications provide valuable information and definitions concerning ‘recycling’, ‘recyclability’, ‘carbon neutral’, ‘green energy’, ‘environmentally friendly’ and other commonly used terms when marketing environmental benefits.
www.accc.gov.au

Design by Nature

A unique Australian information resource aimed at informing, engaging and supporting the practice of environmentally oriented graphic design and associated production methods. Design by Nature also facilitates and enables debate within the graphic design community.
www.designbynature.org

Australian Consumers’ Association

The ACA is the largest consumer organisation in Australia, and the publisher of CHOICE magazine. CHOICE often includes feature articles and news items related to product and service-related environmental issues.
www.choice.com.au

Australian International Design Awards

The Australian International Design Awards, a division of Standards Australia, is recognised by the Commonwealth Government and the International Council of Societies of Industrial Design (ICSID) as Australia’s peak design assessment and promotion body, and for its important role in fostering a culture of design and innovation in Australia.
www.designawards.com.au

Banksia Awards

The Banksia Environmental Foundation is a national not-for-profit organisation that promotes environmental excellence and sustainability through its Awards program and other associated events. The Banksia Environmental national Awards are regarded as the most prestigious environmental awards in Australia.
www.banksiafdn.com

Savewater Awards

Now in its sixth year, the savewater! awards® has emerged as the leading water sustainability awards in Australia. While the awards focus on water conservation achievements, they also demonstrate a commitment to achieving a range of sustainable outcomes.
www.savewater.com.au

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