There is no doubt that the businerss world is more focused than ever on environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) issues. Therefore, transparent and informative ESG communication is required from issuers to reassure shareholders that they provide a responsible investment opportunity and that they are doing all they can to mitigate any potential ESG related risks as well as identifying opportunities to contribute to a sustainable development .

Here are some tips on how to get started with your ESG communications

1. Pool expertise and include a range of voices.

In our experience, change on ESG issues cannot be pushed through entirely top-down, and neither should communications. Not involving employees from across the business from the outset risks alienating them from some of the more significant changes an ESG agenda may involve. It will also deprive your business of fresh and varied perspectives. Depending on the size and nature of your organization, consider creating a working group including senior leaders, operations, HR and communications. Each person will have a unique perspective and must be empowered to champion change within their specialty as well as contribute to ideas outside of it.

2. Conduct a thorough audit of your business.

A continuous audit process will help you identify the story that rings true for your business. This collaborative audit process can also help you to identify where the most authentic ESG story is for your business. For example, if you donate regularly to a charity, why not deepen that relationship, perhaps by allowing employees to volunteer during working hours or by providing the charity with an additional communications platform via your website and owned channels?

The nature of this audit will vary hugely depending on your organization, but whatever industry you are in, this must be holistic and underpinned by a commitment to transparency. As the saying goes, it takes 20 years to build a reputation but only five minutes to destroy it. Digital memories are designed to store information longer than human minds, so it is vital to ensure all messaging is credible and watertight before putting it out into the public domain.

3. Tie the components together.

When you’re carrying out ESG auditing activity or seeking accreditation—for example, through B Corp—activities do fit within certain categories. But for communications, both internal and external, highlighting how they impact each other will help make your policies or actions come alive.

For example, you might identify a need for more diverse voices at the board level or for better lines of communication between trustees, a board and employees. These are primarily governance changes but can have a profound social impact.

Communications teams and external PR advisers can help leaders to identify these opportunities and see where the stories are, as well as which channels are most appropriate for each story. 

4. Capitalize on what you already have.

Communicating your ESG strategies doesn’t require any new tools or channels. Your owned channels (website, corporate social media accounts, newsletter etc.) should be the first port of call for clear and transparent information on environmental, social and governance practices. Beyond this, look at what you already have:

• Do you have a charismatic CEO who loves to go up on stage and speak about your product? In that case, why not target speaking opportunities focused on ESG and sustainability issues, where they can speak about your business’s experience of navigating relevant regulatory and stakeholder change? Employees outside of the C-suite can also be powerful voices on ESG topics, on both social media and external channels like podcasts or webinars.
• Do you produce an annual report focused on financial performance? In that case, why not produce an ESG report to support transparency and keep you accountable year on year? Of course, for some industries, ESG disclosure is already a requirement.

The trend is clear: Reporting on your exposure and policies is here to stay and is only increasing. There is an opportunity to get ahead of the curve in your industry and demonstrate leadership. While in the past reporting has been about dry data tables for investors or shareholders, ESG reporting can be done creatively and used as a tool to reach new audiences interested in sustainability and social impact.

Overall, the main takeaway message for businesses is not to be too daunted by the difficulties of communicating on ESG. Engaging externally is crucial, as is transparency and finding the issues that matter to your company and employees. With ESG issues gaining momentum day by day, there’s not a moment to lose.

Need help to get started? We are here for you! Contact us and lets discuss.