CORPORATE STRATEGY
Communications
With CSR commitments proving to withstand the recession – and in some cases being ramped up
in response to a drive for cost efficiency – companies need to stay alert to the risks of greenwash
when planning communications, writes Kate Sturley
MORE THAN
WORDS
I
n March this year, MPs on the Commons a small percentage of complaints received rep- Particularly in the current economic
Environmental Audit Committee called for resented actual infringements of advertising climate, there is a risk that businesses might
tougher standards on greenwash, which code. But it certainly demonstrates that indi- venture into greenwash territory in an effort
describes the process by which companies viduals are ready to question corporate claims to differentiate themselves in a particularly
exaggerate the environmental credentials of at every turn. competitive marketplace. Building in a sanity
their products or services. This follows a In response to this trend, last year the check against guidelines like these from the
steady drip feed in recent years of high-profile Chartered Institute of Public Relations CIPR will help ensure communications have
claims dealt with by the Advertising Standards (CIPR) launched a set of Best Practice a clear objective and a simple, jargon-
Agency (ASA) for brands including Shell, Guidelines for Environmental Sustainability free message.
easyJet and Toyota. In fact, the ASA received Communications, developed in conjunction But the messages we are all sending out as
more than 850 complaints between 2006 and with Trimedia. These offer practical advice to businesses are only one side of the story. The
2008 relating to green claims made in UK businesses on achieving credible communica- methods we use to deliver these messages,
advertising. An ASA review undertaken in tions campaigns which are transparent and whether that be designing a piece of printed
2008 suggests, perhaps reassuringly, that only reflect action, not just words. material, holding an event or setting up a
Big foot: Trimedia worked
with Defra to generate
interest around the English
coastline in its Act On
CO
2
campaign
26 May 2009 ❘ Sustainable Business
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