At the core of every successful organisation lies a shared vision, guiding every decision and action.
In today's swiftly evolving business landscape, where sustainability stands as a crucial element of strategy, effective internal corporate communication of sustainability initiatives, serves as a driving force to involve employees and build a purposeful organisation.

Green Future Project has been honoured to deep dive into this topic with Alessandra Bichi, an expert in Corporate and Internal Communications, with a wealth of experience spanning across luxury fashion, energy, hospitality, advertising, and tech sectors. In this article, we will explore how transparent communication of sustainability efforts can improve employee engagement, contribute to corporate storytelling and ultimately drive long-term business success.

Corporate Communication and Culture

Alessandra emphasises the critical role of effective internal communication in empowering employees to champion sustainability, aligning personal values with organisational goals, and fostering a culture where sustainability is integrated into every aspect of the business.

Green Future Project: From your diverse experience across different industries, how has the role of internal communications evolved in engaging employees with a company's sustainable initiatives?

“Sustainability emerged as a pivotal concept in the modern world, reflecting society’s growing awareness of the environmental, social, and economic challenges facing our planet and organizations strive to align their operations with sustainable practices, it has become imperative for companies to communicate about sustainability not only externally but also within their internal communications networks”.

“Engaging with these communities has changed significantly during the last decades, shifting from simple top-down informative approach to a full employee experience aligned with an evolving corporate culture”. 

In this context, Alessandra also explains how this approach can lead to a shared vision, increasing engagement and motivation within the company: “When employees understand the rationale behind sustainable initiatives and how it relates to their work or impact, they are more likely to adopt eco-friendly behaviours. For instance, when employees are informed about the environmental impact of their building energy consumption, they might be motivated to reduce it and mirror that same behaviour at home. This would lead to a multiplying effect where employees transform into a movement of changemakers”.

Customising Sustainability Messages

Navigating internal engagement around sustainability initiatives presents a multifaceted challenge, one that demands a faded and tailored communication strategy. In today's dynamic organisational landscape, there's no room for a "one size fits all" approach. Instead, success hinges on the ability to customise communication to cater to diverse audiences, each with varying levels of awareness and interest in sustainability.

Green Future Project: How do you ensure that sustainability messaging resonates with employees across different organisational levels, departments and locations?

"This is probably the most challenging aspect when it comes to internal engagement”.

"Today there is no more “one size fits all” communication approach. Customising communication for different audiences is almost mandatory. In fact employees have varying levels of awareness and interest in sustainability. Crafting messages that resonate with their roles, responsibilities and interests is essential, as much as personalization and localization are key. Knowing your audience in order to optimise channels wisely”.

"In a nutshell:

• Transparent and contextualised approach. 
• Simple and clear wording.
• Compelling visual assets (infographics, video snippets etc).
• Local language and local examples.
• Innovative engagement strategies where possible (for example gamification).
• Consider expert help".

"I’m not going to hide that getting sustainability engagement right is an ongoing learning process, that can’t remain under the sole responsibility of the comms or sustainability team. A collaborative approach is always welcome, whether it surfaces from an ERG (Employee Resource Group), an innovation challenge or a hackathon or just a simple fireside chat that spearheads dialogue”.

"On top (literally), leadership buy-in is mandatory. When executives champion sustainability, it signals its importance to the entire organisation and beyond”.

Measuring Impact and Integrating Sustainability into Company Culture

In today's business landscape, measuring the impact of sustainability initiatives is crucial for long-term commitment. Effective internal communication, aligned with company values, fosters employee engagement and understanding. Continuous training and rewards further reinforce this commitment. However, explains Alessandra, true integration comes from embedding sustainability into business processes, making it a natural part of everyday operations.

Green Future Project: How do you measure the impact of sustainability initiatives, integrating it into the company culture to ensure long-term commitment and alignment with organizational values?

“Remember that an effective internal communication is not just about disseminating information; it’s about creating a shared understanding, fostering commitment and inspiring action".  

“The first (and easy step) would be to articulate a clear purpose for sustainability and align it with the company’s core values. Employees need to understand why sustainability matters and how it connects to their work. We have already covered communication and engagement, I would add everything training as ongoing learning. I would even go a step further by considering distribution of rewards to those more engaged”.

“The most important step would then be to embed sustainability into business processes. For example, consider sustainability criteria in procurement decisions, product design, events management etc. By embedding the sustainability mindset into the fabric of the organisation, you create a culture where commitment to sustainability becomes second nature”.

“And let’s face it, today investors and analysts pay more attention to ESGs claimings and reports. Looking beyond the short term, it means creating long term shareholders value”.

Building Trust through Transparency 

As per EU guidelines, every company will need to publish sustainability commitments by the decade's end. Technology enables transparent, evidence-based storytelling, ensuring clear communication of sustainability efforts. As Alessandra states, the key to fostering genuine commitment and purpose is to embrace sustainability communication as a journey of advocacy, backed by technology.

Green Future Project: Looking ahead, how companies can leverage technology to effectively communicate their sustainability commitments in line with EU regulations, overcoming greenhushing and greenwashing risks?

“Fact is, as per EU guidelines, within the end of this decade every company (whether big/small, listed or not) will have to publish some sort of commitment and report around sustainability”.

“As a company you can choose to either fulfill a formality and keep communications informative or embrace purpose at large and stating your commitments by developing a trustworthy, modern and clear ongoing narrative”.

“First of all technology makes information more accessible and it facilitates fast, evidence-based storytelling. Transparency has to be a given and in order to draft correct messages for the right context, data need to be put into perspective, understood and interconnected to avoid generalistic and “fluffy” statements”.

Conclusion

Green Future Project: Finally, which advice would you give to companies striving to improve their internal communications and employee engagement around sustainability to achieve long-term business success?

“A company’s internal culture directly impacts its external reputation. If employees perceive the organization as genuinely committed to sustainability, they become ambassadors of its values. This positive perception will resonate externally, enhancing the company’s reputation among clients, partners, investors, and the wider community”.

“And let’s not forget that the younger generations, primarily millennials and Gen Z, place a high value on sustainability. Companies that effectively communicate their sustainability initiatives are more likely to attract and retain top talent from these demographics. My advice is simply not to be scared of complexity and embrace simplification”.

In conclusion, the discussion with Alessandra Bichi sheds light on the pivotal role of internal sustainability communication in shaping organizational culture and driving long-term success. Through transparent and contextualized messaging, companies can engage employees at all levels, fostering commitment and inspiring action. Integrating sustainability into business processes and embedding it into company values ensures sustained impact and alignment with organizational goals. Leveraging technology for transparent storytelling and embracing purpose-driven communication are crucial steps towards building trust and credibility. As companies navigate the evolving landscape of sustainability communication, embracing complexity and simplifying messages can pave the way for genuine commitment, employee engagement, and long-term business success.