Three reasons to talk sustainability now, not wait until your business is ‘perfect’

‘Sustainability’ has not made it to word of the year, but it must have been a contender. The subject is on all business agendas, and rightly so. How high up it features will likely depend either on how eco-conscious the leadership team is or on the size of the business, because the bigger the firm the more legislation will apply, forcing sustainability up the priority list.

For example, some larger organisations in the UK need to disclose Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions, in line with the government’s Streamlined Energy and Carbon Reporting (SECR) framework. Depending on the sector, others may be impacted by extended producer responsibility (EPR) if they handle packaging, and companies with EU operations may face governance challenges through the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive. A growing number of organisations are also disclosing emissions data voluntarily through frameworks such as the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi).

Despite the tide heading in the direction of greater sustainability activities and requirements and it being a ‘mot du jour’ in business, it is astonishing how many don’t talk about the great work they do in this space. A key reason for this is ‘greenwashing’, a term that fills business leaders with dread, who fear potential backlash and financial repercussions of having this label applied to their enterprise, and not without reason. High profile examples in recent years include BrewDog, H&M, Nespresso, Zara, Lufthansa, Shell and BP. Coca-Cola, Danone, and Nestlé have also featured in the mediaover claims that their products are ‘100% recyclable’.

However, where claims are genuine and made with integrity and honesty, there are many reasons for not hiding away from talking about sustainability initiatives. Here are three:

1) Perfection is the enemy of progress

‘Perfect’ is by definition a very hard place to reach, some might argue impossible, others would say it stifles productivity. This applies also to sustainable practices in business. There will always be further improvements that can be made to a process, product range or supply chain to reduce their impact on the environment. However, whilst continual improvement should always be a focus, there is also much to be learnt from ‘launching now’ to speed up that journey.

And being a more environmentally-focused businessis a journey. If your business is making progress down that path then why not talk about it now, whilst you are still on the journey and learning, rather than waiting for a time in the future that may never arrive? Sharing initiatives and innovations also makes it ok for other businesses not to be perfect too.

To lean on an example from Vital Baby, we have launched a range of baby products that are biodegradable in landfill conditions due to an innovative technology that is incorporated, called EarthSmart. Whilst this is an innovation and first-of-its-kind in the parenting space, we are in no way claiming that this is a panacea for climate change or that we will now stop looking to improve on what we’re doing. We are working hard to bring more lines under this technology and refine our ESG credentials in other areas, as all businesses should. But we want to bring our customers on our journey.

2) Greenhushing risks sustainability silence

If all businesses across the world stopped talking about their sustainable steps, or their new products that have strong sustainability credentials for one reason or another, and instead sold them without that label or messaging, who would stand to gain?

Without the conversation, consumers don’t know what they are getting or the kind of business they are buying from, and yet surely encouraging the trend of consumers becoming more eco-conscious in their choices is a positive move. In the parenting space, we rightly have very high parent expectations to meet in terms of the quality and cost of our products, but sustainability is an increasingly significant part of the decision process when buying for babies.

Equally, throwing a spotlight on sustainability innovations and advancements encourages healthy competition in the market, with other firms spurred on to innovate and find their own sustainable niche.

The key ingredients needed to move safely from greenhushing without veering into ‘greenwash’ territory is business integrity and honesty. By being clear and transparent on what the sustainability credentials truly are, where the limitations lie, and where the improvements are still being made, then the risks of greenwashing accusations rapidly fall away.

3) Someone else might get there first

Where sustainability innovations or activities are concerned, there is always the risk in waiting for the ‘perfect’ time to talk about it that a competitor will get there first. For the planet, this makes no difference, but in order to survive a business needs to make money and remain competitive, and doing well out of sustainable innovations is not a negative thing.

Moreover, sustainability is good for business. The Environment Journal reports that 69% of CEOs view sustainability as a growth opportunity. Meanwhile one third of UK business leaders report that sustainability action is already having an impact on their companies’ revenue, profitability and growth. So, if there are initiatives and innovations out there that are genuinely supporting the drive to greater sustainability, business leaders should find their way to talk about it and bring their customers and competitors along on the journey