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16 December 2022 / Report
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Copy LinkFor most Americans, a company’s sustainability agenda matters for their consumption (70 percent) and job search (60 percent) decisions. This is what more than 2,000 US respondents told us in a recent survey conducted jointly with The Harris Poll. While behavior might differ from expressed preferences, these statements confirm people’s interest in corporate sustainability initiatives and thus the importance of corporate communications about them. US consumers give companies credit for their progress on sustainability. Half of the Americans we surveyed say companies are improving sustainability efforts such as reducing emissions, conserving natural resources, and collaborating with governments on addressing social and environmental issues. A notable 58 percent think that “companies are treating their employees and suppliers increasingly well.”
The next challenges for sustainability communications are to share more information about labor practices with both consumers and other stakeholders, such as investors and boards, and to build trust in sustainability messages.
Only half of Americans think that companies are reporting on their sustainability initiatives truthfully without exaggerating their impact. Therefore, a critical challenge for sustainability communicators is to build trust with consumers and other stakeholders such as investors and boards in their sustainability messaging.
In an effort to translate technical terms into easy-to-understand language (e.g., “eco-friendly,” “good for you,” “green”) for audiences that aren’t ESG experts, companies might sometimes accidentally evoke perceptions of greenwashing. Such simplified messages might even invite legal action about sustainability claims considered unreasonable. This highlights the challenge of using consumer-friendly wording while not losing trust o
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