While Chief Sustainability Officers (CSOs) may be on the front line of helping us deliver on the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), chief marketing officers (CMOs) have an increasingly important role in supporting them.
Marketing and sustainability leaders gathered this week in Davos to discuss the importance of corporate marketing and communications functions in integrating sustainability into core business and how the two functions can better collaborate to drive meaningful progress on the SDGs.
Fifteen years ago CSOs, were rarely present at global forums like the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting. Today, they are recognised as being integral to strategic decision-making, helping to drive meaningful change.
Coupled with this, the CMO role has become increasingly strategic, often working hand-in-hand with CSOs to align business growth with sustainability initiatives.
However, challenges were identified as barriers to stronger collaboration between marketing and sustainability teams.
There is often a language barrier – while sustainability teams speak in technical terms like carbon dioxide equivalents, marketing teams speak of customer benefits and brand value. This divide is also reflected in misaligned key performance indicators. CSOs are typically measured on the impact they have on emissions reductions and resource management. CMOs, meanwhile, are driven towards sales and brand value.
Greater progress on sustainability is likely to be made by organizations taking a more holistic approach. This requires overcoming organizational silos and departments that have traditionally operated independently from one another, forging better connections.
Businesses must be able to demonstrate the financial value of their sustainability initiatives.
Meanwhile, the younger ‘Greta generation’ is creating significant momentum, demanding greater accountability, which is influencing corporate sustainability approaches.
However, studies suggest there is often a disconnect between sustainability achievements and brand perception. Alongside this, confusing sustainability messaging can drive away consumers.
Some organizations exaggerate, or greenwash, the impact of their initiatives to make money and affect sentiment. While on the flipside, many companies are tempted to ‘green hush’ – deliberately under-reporting their sustainability wins for fear of backlash
Marketing leaders are uniquely positioned to change this situation, helping promote authentic messaging that highlights the benefits for consumers and the planet.
They can help translate technical sustainability achievements into clear and compelling narratives that effectively convey consumer benefits. In addition to understanding consumer motivations, marketing leaders can identify alignment with organisational sustainability priorities. And they can help avoid unfounded or exaggerated claims by ensuring internal checks and balances around sustainability are in place before anything is communicated externally.
This said, many companies don’t have a clear understanding of the carbon footprint of their marketing department, with some suggestions that these activities might contribute up to 7% of a company’s total emissions.
Marketing departments must work to understand the carbon footprint of their activities. CMOs need to be asking: ‘What is the carbon footprint of this media plan?.’
Achieving the SDGs relies on collaboration and commitment. Bold ambitions need to be established, with businesses must adapt,innovate, and embed sustainability into their core purpose.
To realize this, partnerships between marketing and sustainability teams will become increasingly important as organizations create and communicate their value beyond immediate financial returns.