Hearts & Minds: Business sense of climate action should be at the heart of sustainability narrative

Next week sees the Sustainable Markets Initiative’s Summit at Hampton Court Palace. It’s five years since King Charles III, then Prince of Wales, launched the SMI, to bring the innovation and resources of the private sector to bear on combating climate change, preserving nature and the planet. This will be the fifth such gathering of hundreds of CEOs and government leaders. Over two days, on Monday and Tuesday, they will discuss how the world can transition to a sustainable future and outline progress towards achieving the targets set for 2030 and beyond.

This year’s Summit, for which Sodali is the comms partner, comes against the challenging geopolitical backdrop. That does not mean corporates are pulling back nor should they. Climate change is not stopping. The world is getting warmer and natural disasters, graphic warnings of what lies ahead, are increasingly frequent.

The narrative is shifting. Companies are realising that sustainability makes business sense. By investing in it and applying it well they can reduce costs, alleviate risk and maximise shareholder value. It remains a collective objective, and governments and industry need to work together, but corporates are also realising the individual benefits.

That requires explaining and selling, to all stakeholders and the wider public, that may now, understandably be confused or dismissive of such goals. That necessitates careful and considered communication, less about the wider ambition, which is a given, more about what it means for this company, this brand, why it enables us to prosper and enjoy greater security.

Inefficiency defies financial logic. The investors, the owners, correctly desire a company that is efficient and resilient, that can withstand problems that arise and has firm, long-term growth prospects. That’s why we’re doing this, that’s the message for staff, customers, partners, media and social media. It is about providing for all our futures, for their children and their children’s children, but that can be less to the fore. By focusing on the micro and not so much on the macro, it’s accessible and understandable – how something affects me, my job, my wellbeing and that of my family is easier for people to get their heads round. It’s human and relatable, how sustainability works for them, to their advantage.

Everyone profits.

Chris Blackhurst is one of the UK’s foremost business journalists. He was previously Editor of The Independent and City Editor of the Evening Standard.