The fifth and final session in Origin Green’s SBT Learning Series explored communication. What is the best approach Origin Green members can take to communicate their SBTs and broader sustainability performance to investors, consumers, and various other stakeholders?
Bord Bia's Sustainability Partnership and Development Manager, Martin Hofler, introduced the final session by spotlighting the importance of communicating sustainability performance and the need to take a collaborative communications approach, leaning on various internal teams beyond just sustainability.
Karen O’Regan, Head of Strategy for Accenture Ireland, got the session underway through exploring transparent communication as a lever to build trust with the consumer. Karen emphasised the critical role that communication plays in unlocking value from strong sustainability performance.
Secondly, a familiar face, Accenture’s Carbon Intelligence Expert, Adrian Wain, discussed a set of guiding principles to enable ‘good’ communication of sustainability performance. Importantly, Adrian explained how SBTs are one part of a broader sustainability narrative which needs to be communicated consistently to a wide range of stakeholders, from suppliers to consumers to investors – albeit with a tailored approach for each.
Kate White, ESG Measurement and Performance Lead for Accenture UKI, followed on from Adrian’s section to deep dive into communications with one particular stakeholder group: investors. Kate guided us through the ever-evolving standards landscape, gave a breakdown of the building blocks of ESG disclosure and, importantly, provided insights on movement of the reporting landscape towards a single global standard.
Colette Henry, Sustainability Lead at ROTHCO, Accenture Song, then zoomed into communication with the consumer. Colette spoke through the three key challenges companies face when communicating sustainability performance with the consumer, and how to overcome them: avoid greenwashing, avoid green wallpaper, and to change the default. To bring this to life, Colette introduced a range of insightful case studies.
To conclude, Martin returned to our screen to provide an overview of the communication tools and support Origin Green offers its members, and Karen summarised the series with a final call to action for member companies – now is the time to act on your SBT journey!