Small Business Differentiator: Your Story of Sustainability

Evidence has shown that stakeholder engagement is critical to a company’s ability to capitalize on its eco awareness, product stewardship, reputation, and overall business sustainability. But how are stakeholder informed of business sustainability milestones?

The rise of social media has led companies to form new relationships with their stakeholders, including investors and customers, but also employees, suppliers, NGOs and others. Stakeholders are increasingly looking for authentic, transparent, two-way communication with organizations.

Two questions surface: "How does a business authentically and effectively communicate their sustainable business strategies to stakeholders?" And "What corporate sustainability efforts should be shared?

Echoed throughout our professional consulting is a communication framework for companies to better communicate their environmental message which includes:

•    Impact: Make sure it’s real
•    Alignment: Build Support Internally and Externally
•    Communication: Communicate it accurately

As far as which milestones to communicate? There are the most obvious which include meeting and exceeding sustainability targets and recognizing/ rewarding the creation of specific value from sustainability efforts. What is most appealing? Telling your story of how your business embraced sustainability concepts in your business and the results that you achieved. Sustainability principals are universal, but how your business applies them to your circumstances and goals yields a different result and inquiring stakeholders are listening.