02 Nov Businesses at Barwell brunch given guidance on showcasing their sustainability successes

Robust policies, accreditation and seeking local suppliers were all part of the advice given to businesses seeking to market their sustainability achievements, at the latest networking and information event held at Barwell.

The brunch on 28 September was hosted by Kingston Chamber of Commerce, at Unit 50, and had the theme ‘Green Marketing: Communicating Your Environmental Achievements Effectively’.

Event chair Forbes Low, Chief Executive of Kingston Chamber, was joined by panellists Richard Collins, FICRS Co-founder, Lucy Kane, Time & Leisure Magazine owner, and Sam Perryman, Marketing Executive and Social Media Manager, Carbon Architecture.

Lucy told the audience: “Many businesses are really committed to being sustainable and carbon zero but are we putting that in our marketing? Are we telling people what we’re doing? I think nine times out of 10 businesses are committed to this journey but not actually sharing their stories, yet people love to hear them.”

Sam highlighted how the benefits of green marketing included access to a wider market by attracting younger people.

“Gen Z [people born between 1996 and 2010] are very aware and choose products over social value,” he said. “I will personally buy a product because it’s going to last.”

Effective communication, the panel agreed, included using as many channels as possible, from social media to membership networks, with Richard saying, “you’ve got to communicate at every opportunity that you have”.

However, a strategy is essential, he added, which included a statement of intent and a process to measure your impact. “There’s no one size fits all solution,” he said.

Sam recommended a multi-layered process to business sustainability including back-up data to avoid accusations of greenwashing, robust policies, a procurement approach involving local suppliers and a strong website with a marketing strategy which shows you can be trusted.

Accreditation, was also crucial he said, as even within the UK now, major companies and the NHS are asking businesses to show they can work within sustainability frameworks.

Richard added: “This conversation around environment and sustainability is just going to get louder and louder and louder. And in time, it will be a normal part of business. We’re learning behaviour change and the important thing is that the future type of businesses are not embedded purely in financial value, they’re embedded in social and environment value. That’s what we’ll be judged on, that’s our legacy.”