Communicating Sustainability – It’s a Journey

By Donna Moenning, Senior Account Director

Summers often mean family vacations. For me, this was true recently when I spent a long weekend with my adult children driving through the grasslands of the Dakotas, Montana and Wyoming. While they took turns driving, I relished the journey, surrounded by miles of lush green grass stretching beneath a crystal blue sky, with the occasional puffs of clouds promising rain.

The sight that brought the biggest smile to my face was spotting herds of cows grazing peacefully amid the grass. Farmers, ranchers and those knowledgeable in range and animal science appreciate the beauty and synergy of the healthy, functioning ecosystem displayed before them. Cattle and other herbivores play a critical role in both local and global ecosystems, making the landscape more than just picturesque.

As the miles rolled by, I pondered how our forefathers and Native Americans lived “sustainability” in its rawest, truest form. Today, sustainability has countless definitions and interpretations. Across the marketplace, businesses and brands strive to demonstrate their commitment to sustainability, as do farmers.

What Consumers Want

A special report on climate by Edelman points to findings from Circana market research firm and the NYU Center for Sustainable Business that sustainability-marketed products have grown twice as fast as conventionally marketed ones since 2017, driven by growing consumer interest. Circana found that sustainability is particularly important to Millennials, with 90% stating that sustainability factors matter to them personally. Furthermore, 82% of consumers across all generations believe it is important for name brand product manufacturers to practice sustainability and it is especially important for Gen Z.

Laurie Demeritt, CEO of The Hartman Group, shared in a recent update with The Center for Food Integrity that consumers expect companies to actively work on and transparently communicate their sustainability goals. In fact, 65% of consumers want companies’ sustainability practices to be more visible to the public. Visibility is crucial. Your story, commitments and practices need to be accessible to those interested in learning more.

What does your website, YouTube channel or product label currently say about your sustainability efforts? Have you started your sustainability journey?

Telling Your Story

At Look East, we understand the importance of transparent communication and are dedicated to helping those in the food system navigate the complexities of sustainability, including tracking and reporting Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) metrics. Recently, we partnered to produce and publish the Phibro Animal Health  2023 ESG report and AmSty’s latest sustainability report. We’ve also collaborated with meat processors to track and report their goals and progress to the Protein Pact.

If you’re just beginning your sustainability journey, we recommend starting with our free online framework, Optimizing Sustainability, created for The Center for Food Integrity. This comprehensive resource includes three modules to help companies navigate stakeholder requests and make values-based sustainability decisions using credible, science-based insights. It provides a thorough assessment of the potential environmental, economic and social impacts on the company, its supply chain and consumers.

Given the uniqueness and complexities of the food system, each business and brand needs to craft its sustainability story professionally and strategically, articulating their values, commitments and progress to customers, investors, consumers and other important stakeholders. Consistent, authentic and transparent communication is key.

It’s okay if you don’t have it all figured out; sustainability is a journey. Your consumers and stakeholders don’t expect perfection, but they do want to know that you are focused on the future and making genuine efforts. Sharing your stories of improvement can have a significant impact, especially on those who don’t fully understand the complexities of your business, farm or food production.

As a diverse group of farmers, city dwellers, foodies and trust experts, our passion at Look East is to strategically engage with and enhance the conversation about how food is raised, grown, processed, sold, prepared and eaten. It’s meaningful work to help tell the food system’s story about sustainability.

Look East would be honored to partner on your sustainability journey. Please contact me to visit more about this –  and maybe share a few more stories from the road.

Donna Moenning is seasoned communication professional whose strategic and creative insights are inspired by life on a crop and livestock farm. Her leadership expertise spans public relations, issues and crisis management, community relations, strategic planning and brand storytelling.