A few years ago, I was directing sustainability and communications at an enterprise-level manufacturer. It was an exciting time. The company was growing fast and sustainability was truly embedded into the brand identity. We had both the support and the budget to do some legitimately impactful work. We lobbied state and federal legislators to enact policies that helped fight climate change. We achieved a nearly 90 percent waste diversion rate. We donated more than 2 percent of annual revenue to nonprofits doing even more impactful work. And we were producing big media commercials that led with the importance of sustainability. It was all front and center.
But we soon realized a problem.
Nobody outside the sustainability and marketing teams actually understood what we were doing. Of our 750 or so employees, maybe a dozen truly got it. Not great, especially since we knew that our employees loved this stuff. From our CFO, to our factory teams, to our customer service representatives, and sales teams — the people making decisions and having conversations with both retail and individual customers — we were dropping the ball. In short, our external comms were thriving. Our internal comms were completely neglected.
The misalignment had real consequences. Teams were working with outdated information, or none at all. We were missing sales. We were taking on reputational risk we didn't need.
So we got to work.
Read more: How sustainability teams can speak so communications team will listen
CEO letters
I'd spent years developing talking points and messaging for PR, social, and content initiatives. This time, I turned that same approach inward, writing memos and talking points for our CEO and CMO for company-wide communications. Turns out, when it comes from the top, people listen.
Video
We launched an internal video series interviewing colleagues about sustainability topics and played them everywhere from our social channels to the break room. Folks loved seeing their teammates — not just sustainability or leadership members — talking about why sustainability mattered to them.
Newsletter
I wrote a monthly sustainability newsletter with a focus on access and education. Each issue featured an interview with a colleague whose work touched on sustainability, a plain-language breakdown of one of our initiatives, and a roundup of recent news inside the company and beyond. I also included a definition of the word of the month — like decarbonization — and an inspiring quote. People actually read it.
Workshops
Finally, during our B Corp recertification process, we recruited a powerhouse crossfunctional team to attend a monthly three-hour workshop together led by a really effective consultant. The focus was leveling up leaders throughout the company to better understand and represent the work we were doing. That CFO? I’ll never forget the message he sent after one of the sessions. He had no idea all the cool work we were doing, and he was inspired to be a part of it. He asked how he could help.
That message changed how I thought about my job.
What followed was a different kind of collaboration. The CFO and I had spent part of that workshop developing BHAGs — big, hairy, audacious goals — and when it came time to produce the annual report, I had an ally who understood why the numbers mattered. Our COO helped consolidate data across manufacturing sites that had previously operated in silos. And our customer relations and sales teams were finally telling a consistent, confident story to customers, one that reduced greenwashing risk and gave them something real to stand behind.
Read more: Why your teams won’t talk about sustainability
None of that happens without internal alignment first. The commercials, the certifications, the 90 percent waste diversion rate doesn’t land the way it should if the people inside your organization don't understand what you're doing or why. External credibility starts internally.
If you're a sustainability or comms leader reading this, there's a good chance your external communications are further along than your internal ones. Most are. The fix isn't complicated, but it does require treating your colleagues like an audience worth winning over.
Need help getting your teams on the same page? We’re here to help. Reach out today.
