{"id":139985,"date":"2022-07-18T09:37:32","date_gmt":"2022-07-18T08:37:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vuelio.com\/uk\/?p=139985"},"modified":"2022-08-02T12:03:41","modified_gmt":"2022-08-02T11:03:41","slug":"4-practical-steps-for-building-sustainability-into-your-pr","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vuelio.com\/uk\/blog\/4-practical-steps-for-building-sustainability-into-your-pr\/","title":{"rendered":"4 practical steps for building sustainability into your PR"},"content":{"rendered":"

COP26 is long over, but sustainability and climate change<\/a> are still very much on the agenda in comms, with Greenpeace protests at this year\u2019s Cannes Lions festival<\/a> gaining plenty of coverage alongside the big winners.<\/strong><\/p>\n

We recently caught up with Aura\u2019s Laura Sutherland<\/a> to talk about her approach to building sustainability into her work \u2013 here is extra advice on how to start your own journey towards sustainable PR that will make a difference.<\/p>\n

1) Start with research<\/h3>\n

\u2018It would be silly of me to say there was anything \u2018quick\u2019 about sustainability as it is a long-term game,\u2019 admitted Laura. \u2018But there are things you can put into action right now, to help you get started:<\/p>\n

– Read the UN Sustainable Development Goals<\/a> and their actions
\n– Subscribe to sustainability podcasts and blogs
\n– Take the PRCA\u2019s new half day course \u2018How to Communicate about Climate Change Accurately and Effectively<\/a>\u2019 \u2013 this was a result of our work in the Strategy Group and in partnership with the Royal Meteorological Society<\/a>
\n– Start to measure in terms of carbon footprint \u2013 the research shows that 59% of respondents don\u2019t do carbon footprint measurement
\n– Advise! Have the confidence to advise on strategy and stop jumping on the bandwagon, greenwashing and help inform them of better ways
\n– Call out the bad stuff.<\/p>\n

\u2018Or, give me a shout!\u2019<\/p>\n

2) Avoid the pitfalls of greenwashing<\/h3>\n

\u2018As mentioned above, jumping on the bandwagon and just spouting! As we know, brands love to add to the noise when there is something newsy happening. Don\u2019t do it for the sake of it!<\/p>\n

\u2018If there is a strategy and action plan to deliver, then the measurement and evaluation should speak for itself. Don\u2019t let clients push back on research, strategy or evaluation. It\u2019s not a nice to have!<\/p>\n

\u2018Don\u2019t be scared to get someone in to help you get started. Not everyone is an expert in all areas.\u2019<\/p>\n

3) Keep the conversation going<\/h3>\n

\u2018It should be added to board agendas, team meeting agendas and it should be a regular point for data collection and reporting. The more it\u2019s built into our work, the more normal it will be to take action. I personally think it should be included in your CPD plans, too.<\/p>\n

\u2018Hold workshops internally or with clients to explore the stakeholder audit and mapping, do some long-term planning and horizon scanning. Our work is not all about campaigns. Our work is about thinking about how we build relationships and trust with stakeholders. And please, don\u2019t forget internal stakeholders<\/a>! I\u2019ve done a lot of work in internal communication in recent years and it\u2019s been obvious that it\u2019s been an after-thought and not integrated across the organisation. Integration is so important. That\u2019s why a collaborative approach is essential.\u2019<\/p>\n

4) Bring your internal and external stakeholders onboard ASAP<\/h3>\n

\u2018There\u2019s definitely an education piece to be done with internal stakeholders. Both the industry research and consumer research the Strategy Group carried out say that we\u2019re not doing enough to fight the climate crisis and I think that\u2019s the point. We need to start taking action. Action starts from within. Personal action which translates into our work and then filters out.<\/p>\n

\u2018PWC\u2019s 2021 ESG consumer report<\/a> said that 83% of consumers think companies should be actively shaping ESG best practice, 91% of leaders believe their company has a responsibility to act on ESG and that 86% of employees prefer to support or work for companies that care about the same issues they do.<\/p>\n

\u2018This is epic. It means people know it\u2019s needed, but now, what we need more than anything, is ACTION. If not now, when?\u2019<\/p>\n

Read our full interview with Laura Sutherland<\/a> on her launch of the Aura PR Synergy Framework and which brands are already putting in the work on sustainability, as well as more about the PRCA Climate Misinformation Group\u2019s second annual report<\/a>. <\/strong><\/p>\n

Want more on how to engage your stakeholders? Take a look at Vuelio\u2019s Stakeholder Management solutions<\/a>. <\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

COP26 is long over, but sustainability and climate change are still very much on the agenda in comms, with Greenpeace protests at this year\u2019s Cannes Lions festival gaining plenty of coverage alongside the big winners. …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":423,"featured_media":139988,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7365,7272,3725,7238],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vuelio.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/139985"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vuelio.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vuelio.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vuelio.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/423"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vuelio.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=139985"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.vuelio.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/139985\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":144176,"href":"https:\/\/www.vuelio.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/139985\/revisions\/144176"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vuelio.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/139988"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vuelio.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=139985"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vuelio.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=139985"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vuelio.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=139985"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}