The state of sustainability in Europe - James Osborne and Daniele Righi

16TH EUROPEAN SEMINAR ON

DIGITAL CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS

JAMES OSBORNE AND DANIELE RIGHI

“THE STATE OF SUSTAINABILITY IN EUROPE:

DIGITAL IS DEFINING A NEW ERA”

THE STATE OF SUSTAINABILITY

IN EUROPE:

DIGITAL IS DEFINING A NEW ERA

16TH EUROPEAN SEMINAR ON DIGITAL CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS AND WEBRANKING AWARDS

SUSTAINABILITY’S NEW ERA: TWO TRANSFORMATIONS

• Focus on business impacts

• Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

• Integrated thinking & reporting

• “Post-materiality”

• Pervasiveness of digital

• Personalisation of social media

• Trust shifting away from “institutions”

• Generational shifts

Integration

WHAT MATTERS TO THE BUSINESS WHAT MATTERS TO THE USER


STAKEHOLDER TRENDS: 4 TREND FROM OUR USER SURVEY

1. Decline in report reading

Users look for strategic approach to

challenges and evidence of action

3. Post-materiality

Users expect greater focus on most

material issues, not to treat all

topics equally

2. Digital turn-offs

Users are most frustrated by

superficial, “siloed”

communications

4. Social impact

Social media mix personal and

professional domains, stress

importance of relationships


HOW ARE EUROPE’S LEADING COMPANIES RESPONDING?

Three key trends:

1. Attention (finally) turns to the

digital stakeholder

2. Unlocking storytelling to

underpin stakeholder trust

3. What a data-driven approach

tells us: engagement on social

media


ATTENTION (FINALLY) TURNS TO THE DIGITAL STAKEHOLDER

Source: Lundquist CSR Online Awards


LESS IS MORE, BUT…

On the one hand, beware the risk of emptying

websites of their core function:

• An increasing proportion of companies are

failing our “core” test of online ESG disclosure,

driven by the desire to optimise content to

mobile devices and shrink content

On the other hand, sustainability leaders

aren’t always the best examples:

• They are behind the curve in terms of

distinctive communications

• They overkill reporting and invest precious

resources in digital replicas of their reports Source: Lundquist CSR Online Awards


UNLOCKING “STORYTELLING” TO UNDERPIN TRUST

Source: Lundquist CSR Online Awards


THREE SECRETS TO SUSTAINABILITY STORYTELLING

Illustrate a company’s

action on priority

issues, showing impact

on the business:

2 out of 10 use

video to talk about

context and trends

Take content to where your

audiences are: be coherent

and interconnected across

the digital ecosystem:

53% of companies have

sustainability stories

beyond dedicated section

Bring human stories to

life and show what

commitment means in

reality through image and

video:

7 out of 10 don’t use

video on environmental

topics


A WINNING COMPANY: BASF


A LEADER: UNILEVER


FANS AND FOLLOWERS:

HOW SUSTAINABILITY CAN

REINFORCE YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA

PRESENCE

FANS AND FOLLOWERS:

HOW SUSTAINABILITY CAN

REINFORCE YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA

PRESENCE

HOW UNDERSTANDING

SUSTAINABILITY CAN MAKE

YOUR COMMUNICATION ON

SOCIAL MEDIA MORE EFFECTIVE

PUTTING SUSTAINABILITY

TO THE (SOCIAL) TEST

PUTTING SUSTAINABILITY

TO THE (SOCIAL) TEST

1SUSTAINABILITY =

MATERIAL KEYWORDS

2SOCIAL

Mar 2016 Mar 2017

Mar 2016 Mar 2017

Mar 2017

24,368

7,330157

25,789

9,284104

Mar 2016

3

200 words

Environment Community HR Economy and Governance

CSR

SustainabilityCommitment

YouthPartnership

ClimateChangeWaste

EthicsSustainableInvestment

WelfareDiversity

Sustainability Everything else


38%

Sustainability

409,559 people like this page

+2 million people like this page


27%

Sustainability

56,300 people like this page

SO WHAT?

SUSTAINABILITY IS A TOPIC

WITH A RELEVANT ROLE IN THE

CORPORATE COMMUNICATION

AGENDA

DOES IT WORK?

17%

2.6%

CSR CONTENT

Share of CSR content Share of CSR Engagement

Environment Community HR Economicsand Governance

CSR

Environment Community HR Economicsand Governance

CSR

Share of CSR content Share of CSR Engagement

DOES IT WORK?

YES IT WORKS, IF…

IT IS NOT ABOUT YOU

Noel Quinn, Chief Executive, Global Commercial Banking, said:

“Now more than ever it’s vital that we show our solidarity with LGBT colleagues and customers around the world. We are proud to support all our customers’ hopes, dreams and ambitions, and that so many of our colleagues are getting involved in Pride events.”

TAKEAWAYS FROM 7TH CSR ONLINE AWARDS


Reporting is not enough. A strategic approach has to put the business and stakeholders at the

centre

Integration holds the key. Successful sustainability communications can’t survive in a silo for

specialists

Be data-driven. Social media offer an opportunity to join the conversations about the

issues that matter

BUSINESS TRANSFORMATION:

COMMUNICATING WHAT MATTERS

&

WEBRANKING AWARDS 2017

ITALY & SWITZERLAND

16TH EUROPEAN SEMINAR ON

DIGITAL CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS

Social Media

The state of sustainability in Europe - James Osborne and Daniele Righi