Per this article, 45% of SMEs have already increased their sustainable projects over the last 12 months and 65% of SMEs are planning more sustainability projects over the coming 12 months.
This is great to see!
If you are planning more sustainability projects, remember the rule:
- You can talk about the project – “We put solar on the roof.”
- But you cannot use the project to imply your company is sustainable or green or eco-friendly – In other words, you cannot say “We are an eco-friendly company that put solar on the roof,” as that is greenwashing.
- Making green, sustainable or eco-friendly claims about your company requires being certified under a standard, allowing your claim to be attached to the standard – ie, “We are an environmentally certified sustainable company under the Edenark Group ISO 14001”
If you are doing more sustainable projects, WONDERFUL!!!! This is what every company should be doing.
But if you want the brand/revenue-side benefit of talking about being a good corporate citizen and doing sustainable projects, you need to be certified/verified under a globally respected standard.
If you care about sustainability, why not talk about it and lead others?
- Like it or not, consumers are evaluating your company on its sustainability effort
- A meaningful part of your company’s value is tied to its sustainability effort
- Greenwashing (promoting a sustainability effort that is not validated/certified by a 3rd party) will hurt you
- Greenhushing (not promoting a sustainability program that is 3rd party validated/certified) will hurt you
- You need a 3rd party certified/validated sustainability program that helps you promote your real/accurate sustainability efforts
- This masterclass explains what to look for in a program