Due to the growing global interest in the communication of sustainability Corporate Excellence– Center for Reputation Leadership and Women Action Sustainability (WAS) have launched the publication of the guide Communicating sustainability and its impact on reputation now available English.

This guide, presented on April 2023 in Madrid, responds to the detection of the diffuse and vague communication of sustainability by companies and the need to improve it.

One of the great learnings from the guide is the strategic value that adequately communicating sustainability adds to the reputation of the organization, distancing it from the dangerous practices of green washing or green hushing.

Responsible communication has become a form of sustainability by itself, as it serves society by promoting ethical and reliable dialogue, combating misinformation, or promoting diversity and inclusion. Communicating responsibly, in fact, has been proposed as the 18th SDG, by the Global Alliance for Public Relations and Communications Management; an initiative that we support and join from Corporate Excellence.

Given this scenario, the guide identifies five essential characteristics that all sustainability communication should follow to positively impact the company's reputation:

1. Strategic and transversal communication: Communication is at the service of the business strategy, at the center of which is Sustainability. Communicating Sustainability involves the entire organization in a collaborative and transversal way.
2. Transparency and coherence: Transparency in the social and environmental impact of the corporate activity demonstrates commitment to stakeholders and generates trust. Sustainability and its communication must be consistent with the purpose and values of the organization.
3. With a 360º vision, the importance of the external and the internal dimensions: The complex environment in which the organization operates must be known in communicating sustainably. In addition, the internal projection of this work is essential since it has an enormous impact on different stakeholders.
4. Clarity and didactic potential: Sustainability communication must be sensitive to the diversity of audiences, adapting to each one in format, content, tone and channels used. Furthermore, communicating Sustainability allows us to inspire and involve new generators of social impact.
5. Multiplier and creator of new alliances: Sustainability management is a guarantee for the durability of corporate activity, and it is linked to alliances with other organizations, ultimately creating shared value for the entire society.

If you want to learn all the recommendations included in the Communicating sustainability and its impact on reputation guide, you can find its English version in this link.