Earth Day provides us with a timely reminder that sustainability is no longer a buzzword; it’s a business priority. Many consumers put their dollars where their values are, and brands that can’t back up their green claims risk losing both trust and revenue.
According to recent statistics from Capital One Shopping, 89% of global consumers have changed their shopping habits to be more eco-friendly. And 79% of Gen Z shoppers consider sustainability when deciding which brands to support. For this generation, and increasingly others, it’s not just about what they buy—it’s about what they believe in.
Sustainability is also now a key factor in employee recruitment, retention and investor confidence. ESG initiatives are becoming a must-have for companies looking to future-proof their brand.
And as climate crises continue to affect daily life, 85% of consumers say they’re feeling its impact, resulting in the prioritization of sustainable choices, according to PwC’s 2024 Voice of the Consumer Survey.
For PR pros, that means sustainability communications need to be clear, credible and consistent. In this round of Top Tips, we asked the experts for best practices regarding those communications—what’s working, what’s not and how brands can avoid greenwashing while staying true to their values.
Branded Content
Jon Amar, PR and Communications Consultant, JZA; Co-Founder, Climate Freedom Project
"A combination of owned and paid media, ideally done in partnership with branded content studios (via media outlets) and other external stakeholders (e.g., fundees/grantees), is the way to go. My client Acumen recently did a great partnership with BBC Storyworks to spotlight their work supporting off-grid solar investments in sub-Saharan Africa."
Employee Buy-In
Tarunjeet Rattan, Managing Partner, Nucleus PR
"When each employee of the brand truly believes in the mission and lives it, they become the strongest brand ambassadors you could ask for. The staying power of that mission within the team is what sets a brand apart and ensures all the fanfare actually sticks. Without that internal alignment, it’s just a publicity stunt."
Mary Beth Popp, Director, HR Communications, University of Rochester
"Engage and train employees on water, emissions and waste. Make sustainability part of the culture—from the office and manufacturing floor to commercial events. Invest in employee volunteer projects and microgrants that provide a platform to share the company’s values and impact. Use publicity and social media to highlight employees, share stats, and show areas where you're working hard to improve."
Laurel Dicus, Head of Communications, Rogers-O'Brien Construction
"Give employees something to talk about. In B2B, nothing beats the reach of authentic employee advocacy. For example, when companies adopt the WELL Building Standard and offer things like fresh fruit on every floor, quiet spaces, or even cover costs for partners to join on business trips to support mental health—those are the moments people actually share."
Global Impact Reports
Amanda Coffee, Communications Consultant, Coffee Communications:
"An annual global impact report puts all the data in one place and allows for year-over-year measurement. It’s also a great opportunity for storytelling!"
Katie Leasor, Associate Director, Purpose and Voice Communications, CECP (Chief Executives for Corporate Purpose)
"Bonus points for reports that aren’t 60-plus pages long—include an interactive table of contents with hyperlinks, and feature charts or data showing year-over-year progress."
Blair Huddy, Founder, Hudson Davis
"I love a good sustainability report that’s published to the website, shared with clients, posted on social media, celebrated internally, and promoted through news and podcasts."
Kati Murphy, VP, PR and Communications, Meow Wolf
"We do an annual impact report while weaving sustainability practices into storytelling and events—like our Trashion Shows, where artists and designers create fashion from discarded materials."
Partnerships
Kendra Peavy, Founder, BoldCo., A Purpose Consultancy
"Partnerships are by far my favorite approach. The best ones allow you to integrate storytelling, develop newsworthy programs, expand reach, build educational moments, and deliver measurable impact that ties back to your brand’s greater purpose."
Podcasts
Neal Shulman, Founder & CEO, PodPitch.com
"I’m biased. But podcasts.
- Reaches the audience directly
- Brands/companies get the videos from the podcast to reuse
- Perfect short-form clips for websites/social ("hear from our founders...")
I think many PDFs/one-pagers essentially don't get read by the brand’s actual customers."
Lou Elliott-Cysewski, Fractional Communications Director & Grants Writer
"Truly meaningful practices need to be made more public, and I’ve found that they do well on podcasts and in the media."
Speaking Engagements
Stephanie Pryor, Founder, LANC Marketing, LLC
"I’ve seen success with speaking engagements. There are so many ways to talk about sustainability without being self-aggrandizing or 'greenwashing,' and this is one of them. Learn something from your sustainability practices and translate that into an educational roadmap for others. And before anyone cries 'competitive advantage,' I don’t mean give away any trade secrets. Become a real thought leader and use your expertise to help others—this goes a long way for your brand."
Storytelling
Gregg Feistman, M.A., Professor of Practice, Public Relations, Temple University
"Don’t tell everyone what you’re doing. Tell them about the people whose lives have been positively impacted by your actions. PR 101—it’s not about you, it’s about the people you affect, even if they never know it came from you."
Alvaro Bendrell, Director of Digital Communications, Enel North America
"If a brand is committed to sustainability as part of their core business, it can be a central theme in their messaging—a multichannel narrative and always-on campaign.
One of my favorite case studies I worked on was with McDonald’s when announcing their first aggregated renewable energy deal.
McDonald’s was tackling scope 3 emissions and involving their suppliers—a bold commitment to renewables. After an integrated PR announcement, we did panels at Climate Week, bylines in trade outlets, optimized clips from conferences for social, visited a solar farm site with key stakeholders, and continued stories around the investment. To keep the story alive, they captured that visit [on video], and shared it on [brand] channels.
Sustainability reports are great, but you need to bring them to life across channels where your audiences pay attention. No one goes on a brand website to search for a 100-page report."
Nicole Schuman is Managing Editor at PRNEWS.