The marketer’s guide to the climate crisis
Can marketing save the world? Probably not alone, but it can certainly play its part in providing the communication and solutions required to combat the climate crisis.
“It must be a year of game- changing climate action”
Sustainability is no longer a nice addition to marketing campaigns, but an imperative for both business and the planet. In 2023, the IPCC report concluded that the window to halt global warming at 1.5 degrees celsius and avert the most catastrophic impacts of climate change is rapidly closing. UN general secretary, Antonie Gutteres recognises advertising as a key factor in the growing climate emergency, saying “2023 is a year of reckoning. It must be a year of game-changing climate action. We need disruption to end the destruction. No more baby steps. No more excuses. No more greenwashing. No more bottomless greed of the fossil fuel industry and its enablers.”
It’s clear that advertising and marketing is uniquely positioned to shift behaviours and lifestyles towards ones that are less harmful to the environment – but it must gets its own house in order first. Marketers must position sustainability at the heart of all strategy, put an end to greenwashing and drive sustainable behaviours through its unique power for storytelling.
“2023 is a year of reckoning”
Sustainability as an imperative for growth
A Deloitte survey of 1,015 CMOs indicates that brands are concentrating their efforts on shoring up their own internal sustainability practices as opposed to focusing externally on influencing customer behavior.
- 51% replied saying they were focused on improving internal marketing practises.
- 47% replied saying they are focused on promoting a more sustainable product/service offering.
- 45% replied saying they are focused on establishing long term sustainability commitments. [1]
Brands working on internal sustainability might be focused on reducing paper waste or energy usage, or creating more sustainable or transparent supply chains, among other actions.
- 38% said they are making packaging/distribution more sustainable
- 38% making commitments and having accountability to these commitments
- 38% rethinking marketing communication to encourage greener consumer behaviours
are focused on improving internal marketing practises.
are focused on promoting a more sustainable product/service offering
are making packaging/distribution more sustainable
rethinking marketing communication to encourage greener consumer behaviours
Marketers should remain vigilant on meeting and exceeding sustainability targets to remain relevant in the marketplace even in times of economic uncertainty.
“Consumers consider care for the environment as the most important brand value that affects their purchasing decision”
Sustainability is high on consumers priority
Hall and Partners research found that protecting the environment and working together towards a more sustainable future is the number one value shift globally (69%) since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Harries Interactive and Kurundata report that consumers consider care for the environment as the most important brand value that affects their purchasing decision (also 69%).
The InSights Consulting found that being locked down due to the pandemic also made people more conscious of issues like air quality and food waste. Reducing CO2 emissions is now the first thing people think of when they consider ‘sustainability,’ (19%) ahead of other issues like recycling and plastic waste. [2]
believe brands should do a lot more to reduce their carbon impact
Gen Z is increasingly concerned about climate change
A 2021 survey for Wunderman Thompson Intelligence’s “Regeneration Rising” report finds that 66% of respondents express anxiety about how climate change will affect them personally, rising to 72% of generation Z. To combat their anxiety and climate change’s effects, gen Z are taking action. 85% of those surveyed believe that people must be prepared to rethink the way they live and spend to tackle climate change, and 70% are prepared to make dramatic changes to their lifestyle if it will help tackle climate change. According to Wunderman Thompson Intelligence’s “Regeneration Rising: Sustainability Futures” report, 86% of respondents expect businesses to play a part in solving big challenges such as climate change; 88% believe that sustainability should be a standard business practice; and 89% believe brands should do a lot more to reduce their carbon impact.
express anxiety about how climate change will affect them personally
Greenwashing is getting more sophisticated
According to the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment’s ‘Global trends in climate change litigation: 2022 snapshot’, a minimum of 20 greenwashing cases have been filed before courts in the US, Australia, France and the Netherlands since 2016, whilst 27 cases have been filed before non-judicial oversight bodies over the same period.
Experts advise brands check their claims for substance, directionality, and impact to evaluate the risk of backlash. Working with external auditors can also help in assessing if claims stand up to scrutiny. There is no harm in acknowledging there is still work to be done.
say it is difficult to know if a brand is green
want greater transparency in ads and supply chains
Marketing departments should upskill on sustainability
jobs will be generated by the green economy globally by 2030
of 18-30 year-olds working in advertising are uncomfortable working on high-carbon clients
Green skills will be a big part of a sustainable transition
The International Labor Organization forecasts the green economy will generate about 24m jobs globally by 2030, confirming a sustainability transition is unfolding in business.
According to LinkedIn’s Global Green Skills report, open roles requiring green skills have grown about 8% per year between 2017 and 2021, while the amount of available talent grew about 6% in the same time frame. [3]
A Chartered Institute of Marketing study shows a growing skills gap in the industry when it comes to communicating sustainability effectively: 40% of marketers report that they lack relevant sustainability marketing qualifications, despite 76% of them having been involved in sustainability projects over the past five years. [4]
Within the ad industry, a survey by Glimpse found that among 18-30 year-olds working in in advertising 63% said they were uncomfortable working on high-carbon clients. But only two in five 40% said they would feel comfortable refusing to work on them in an agency setting [5]. Accenture found in APAC 77% of youth surveyed wanted a job in the low carbon economy.
So what are the best principles for sustainable branding?
See sustainability as an opportunity for innovation and differentiation – not an added cost
It introduces new ways of thinking, enhances competition and encourages solutions that challenges today’s model of over consumption.
Embed sustainability at the core of brands/campaign strategies
Sustainability is not about adding an “extra dimension” it must be a core part of a brand’s DNA.
Focus on positive impact you can make, not just the negative impact you can reduce
The language of sustainability often focusses on reducing impact, but the most inspirational brands tell aspirational stories about creating net positive impacts on society by putting in more than they take out.
Don’t try and be everything to everyone, focus on a core benefit or issue
It is best for brands to articulate explicitly about the specific aspects they are looking to improve and establish a clear, relevant, motivating benefit for the desired outcome. [6]