Tell your sustainability stories, says the 2024 Better Futures report
Telling your sustainability stories is hugely important, according to the findings of this year’s
2024 Kantar Better Futures Report.
The report provides insights into current consumer views on sustainability in New Zealand. Produced annually with the Sustainable Business Council, it is valuable for businesses making decisions about sustainability.
Our main message from this year’s report: if you are actively involved in becoming more sustainable, tell your story. If you are doing something big – tell it. If you are starting on your sustainability activities with small steps – tell it.
Tips to tell your story
Here’s some useful guidance to grab this business opportunity.
- Be authentic and transparent – remember you can’t do everything and that’s okay. Be realistic about what you can do, about the plan you have, and the targets set to get there.
- Be relatable – share positive and practical stories (remember they can be big or small!) that are good examples of what you are doing and why.
- Be clear – if you are using jargon or terms that don’t have a clear definition, explain what they mean for you. Use the words as if you were telling the story to someone in person.
- Be meaningful – if you’re selling a building material, focus on that material, not its packaging.
The troublesome twins: greenwash and greenhush
Sustainability communications often use terms that aren’t clear. When you hear or read words such as ‘net-zero’ and ‘environmentally friendly’, what do they really mean?
This fear of greenwashing can stop your business from telling its story. Maybe you’re a business that’s doing great things to reduce your waste, but you don’t want to broadcast it for fear of being accused of greenwashing.
But not telling great stories like this can lead to a further risk called greenhushing. This is keeping quiet about your strategy and what you are doing.
Why telling your story is (really) important
According to this year’s Kantar report:
1. Some companies are seen as sustainability leaders. Why? The Kantar report asked this question and found businesses who are seen as leaders (examples included Whittakers, Kathmandu, and ecostore) are open about their sustainability performance.
2. Over half of consumers claim to have experienced greenwash, and especially so for the younger generation. A massive two-thirds of consumers also question the consistency between what businesses do and the claims they make.
3. There’s a continuing growth in consumers who are actively living a sustainable life and making choices based on sustainability. The drive for sustainability in markets, for both consumers and businesses, continues to gain momentum.
4. Consumers list environmental concerns such as pollution in waterways, microplastics and managing waste streams higher than climate change.
5. Consumers see business as playing a big part in improving sustainability, but they also think businesses are falling well short of their responsibilities for tackling environmental issues.
So go ahead and Tell Your Story!
Sharing your authentic and practical sustainability stories can have a positive impact on your customers, suppliers and business partners. Those stories, no matter how big or small, can be inspirational and even transformative.