Top examples of communicating A brand’s sustainability
In the music industry we see Coldplay communicating clearly what his commitment to climate action is on their sustainability page. The best sustainability pages feel authentic and transparent in so far as they explain what they’ve done to measure their carbon footprint, discussed opportunities to reduce their footprint, ways they are leveraging their brand’s power to educate their customers and create scale for addressing climate change.
Other companies that do this well include:
- Apple: I’ve not seen an executive make such a clear, public, heartfelt commitment to carbon neutrality like Tim Cook does in this video. He’s not looking at Mother Nature, he’s looking at us, his customers and he does not flinch. Very powerful. Not very many companies have the resources to put together a video like this and the devil is in the details, not the slick videos, but I’d sure like to see another 500 of the Fortune 500 companies get on camera, look me in the eye, and say what he has. FWIW, I’ve studied the Mangrove Restoration work apple funded in Colombia near Cartagena and it’s a great project.
https://www.apple.com/environment/mother-nature - IKEA: IKEA’s sustainability web pages are commendable for their comprehensive and user-friendly presentation of their sustainability programs. They effectively communicate their focus on sourcing renewable or recycled materials by 2030 and their efforts to empower customers through their Live Lagom community. The information is presented in a way that makes sustainability accessible and achievable for everyone, highlighting IKEA’s commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. https://www.ikea.com/gb/en/this-is-ikea/sustainable-everyday/ikea-live-lagom-community-pub8d845141
- Coldplay: Coldplay’s sustainability website stands out for its use of engaging iconography to highlight different areas of sustainability in its tour operations. Each icon shows clear and concise information on topics like their efforts to reduce CO2 emissions and power consumption, the charities they support, their commitment to transparency, and more. They use a SaaS tool from Live Nation for communicating their sustainability efforts. https://sustainability.coldplay.com
- Intrepid Travel: Intrepid Travel’s climate commitment webpage effectively communicates their pledge to support the global commitment to halve emissions by 2030 and reach net zero as soon as possible before 2050. The page is simple to follow, shares specific commitments, and has lots of quality Q&A posts. It makes it easy for visitors to understand their commitment to sustainable travel and undoubtedly generates brand lift allowing them sell more and charge more. I like that they are reducing emissions aggressively, but they probably don’t display the details of their actual footprint as much as they could. Also, getting their customers to measure their own carbon footprint is always a good idea.
https://www.intrepidtravel.com/uk/climate - Salesforce: Salesforce’s sustainability webpage is notable for its data-driven approach to communicating their climate priorities and programs. The page is packed with data and information, demonstrating their commitment to transparency. Additionally, they show how they are using their software development skills to build software to help their clients measure their carbon footprint, set reduction targets, and communicate with dashboards. This is good for their brand, but also smart business as carbon accounting is going to be a massive software opportunity in the next 10 years as more and more companies need to report on sustainability.
https://www.salesforce.com/company/sustainability - Lego: Lego’s sustainability reporting webpage effectively communicates their commitment to making a positive impact on the world and its people. The page is well-structured and easy to navigate, providing clear information on their goals to use 100% sustainable materials in their products by 2030 and to make all packaging sustainable by 2025. Those dates are near, so we need to hold them accountable!!
https://www.lego.com/en-us/sustainability/reporting - Delta: Delta’s sustainability webpage does an excellent job of communicating their commitment to carbon neutrality and their goal to achieve this by 2050 with near term goals for 2025 & 2030. The page is well-structured and provides detailed information on their investments in innovation, clean air travel technologies, carbon emissions and waste reduction, and carbon removal projects. They even have an effort at community engagement, but with millions of customers, why are they not getting all of us involved?
https://www.delta.com/us/en/about-delta/sustainability - Microsoft: Microsoft’s sustainability webpage is a standout for its comprehensive and detailed presentation of their sustainability commitments. The page effectively communicates their ambitious goals to be carbon negative, water positive, and zero waste by 2030. Like Salesforce, Microsoft shows how it’s using the talent of its staff in developing software to help other companies and individuals address climate change. The development of a Planetary Computer is highlighted as a key initiative, demonstrating their commitment to using technology to address environmental challenges. https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/corporate-responsibility/sustainability
- Patagonia: Patagonia’s responsibility programs webpage is a prime example of effective sustainability communication. The page clearly communicates their goals to eliminate virgin petroleum fiber in their products by 2025 and to be net zero across their entire business by 2040. The page also highlights their efforts to reduce reliance on fossil fuels and to make their packaging 100% reusable, home compostable, renewable, or easily recyclable by 2025. Of course nobody can beat their inspiring imagery.
https://www.patagonia.com/our-responsibility-programs.html
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