Excellence in Sustainability and ESG Communications

The 2024 winner in this category is Bunge, for their entry 'Bunge Ecochallenge & Ecotalks'. This initiative motivated employees to engage deeply with the company’s sustainability strategy through a 30-day challenge. Timed with the release of Bunge’s annual sustainability report, the Ecochallenge and Ecotalks podcast series drove sustainable behaviors and reinforced the company’s ESG communications. The judges praised the strategic, well-timed nature of the campaign and its ability to produce tangible behavioral changes. With strong metrics and positive feedback, Bunge’s approach effectively integrated sustainability into their business strategy and provided valuable insights for enhancing ESG communications and employee engagement. A huge congratulations Bunge! 

Watch the entry video now to learn more! 

48% of consumers expect businesses to take a stand on social justice issues, according to Gartner consumer sentiment data. It is critical that CCOs and communications leaders be at the forefront  identifying which social issues organizations should establish a coherent brand position around to avoid damaging reputation or customer loyalty. 

Download Gartner's latest research The CCO’s 3-Step Approach to Articulating Their Brand’s Position on Social Justice Issues to:

  • Evaluate the organization’s actions on relevant issues.
  • Decide on the brand’s social justice identity.
  • Enhance your ESG communications strategy.

The 3-Step Guide to Brand Positioning on Social Justice Issues

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    Q&A with Gartner Experts on ESG Communications

    Gartner experts address some common and pressing questions about sustainability and ESG communications that are most relevant to CCOs and other communications leaders today. Read through to navigate this ever-evolving landscape effectively.

    Gartner's analysis of company reporting on material issues in sustainability and ESG found that climate change, business ethics and integrity and DEI were rated as the top three material issues for 2024. Business leaders and external stakeholders both reported the same top six material issues for ESG Communications: Climate change and cybersecurity and/or data privacy were the first and sixth most important regarding business and stakeholder importance, respectively.

    Leaders must prioritize stakeholders whose perceptions and actions are most critical to their organization, seek to understand the expectations of those stakeholders, and then select issues that: 1) Align with expectations, 2) Align with their organization's corporate narrative, and 3) Their organization can meaningfully impact.

    While there is no single “best” standard for ESG reporting, Gartner has seen two frameworks become most common:

    1. Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), which measures impact
    2. Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB), which measures industry specific financial sustainability metrics

    Communications leaders prioritizing among social issues should:
    1. Assess issues for their contributions to and consistency with organizational identity and strategic direction.
    2. Emphasize issues that allow you to take a specific, specialized angle or storyline to differentiate your social impact stance.
    3. Surface issues where you can apply unique organizational expertise, directly engage audiences and address audience-identified opportunities for improvement to strengthen perceived social impact and audience connection.

    A declining share of U.S. consumers agree that companies should take a stand on social, political or environmental issues. Brands’ stances on issues lead 32% of consumers to intentionally buy from or boycott a brand; consumers want businesses to be selective about the issues they support. Meanwhile, an increasing proportion of consumers now expect companies to put employees over profits.

    2024 Finalists In This Category

     

    Accedia

     

    APTIM

     

    DBS Bank

     

    Schneider Electric

     

    Mastercard

     

    Schneider Electric

     

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