Reach, engagement, relevance and return on investment have long been the main criteria used to assess marketing success. Schneider Electric believes another factor should be added to that equation: the amount of resources needed for communication to achieve the desired impact.
This approach moves sustainability away from the realm of separate initiatives and into campaign planning itself. From the number of brochures produced and the operating time of a digital billboard to the size of videos, email databases and websites, almost every communication choice involves a certain consumption of energy or materials.
“In marketing, we traditionally track reach, relevance, engagement and return on investment. Today, we need to add another criterion: how many resources we use to achieve the desired communication impact. Sustainable communication does not mean lower-quality or less visible marketing, but more considered decisions and removing everything that does not create real value for the audience,” says Anica Petkoski, Marketing Director at Schneider Electric for the Western Balkans region.
Sustainability claims need data behind them
The second part of that responsibility begins when a company decides to communicate the environmental characteristics of its products. Terms such as “green”, “sustainable”, “environmentally friendly” and “energy efficient” mean little if it is not clear what exactly they refer to and what data supports them.
Greenwashing does not necessarily have to result from deliberately misleading the audience. It can also stem from claims that are too broad, a lack of context or an attempt to reduce a complex environmental issue to a simple marketing message.
“When it comes to sustainability, it is no longer enough to say that a product is green or environmentally friendly. We need to be able to explain what that claim specifically means and what data it is based on. Greenwashing can also happen unintentionally, when we try to oversimplify complex topics. That is why we believe responsible communication should be based on three principles: transparency, accuracy and consistency, so that customers receive facts on the basis of which they can make informed decisions themselves,” says Petkoski.
What is included in the assessment of environmental impact is also important. A product’s carbon footprint can appear lower if distribution, the period of use or the end of its life cycle are excluded from the calculation.
Schneider Electric uses Product Environmental Profiles (PEP) documents containing product life cycle assessments that undergo independent verification. Through its Environmental Data Program, the company has taken a step further by giving users access to data on 30 environmental attributes, including carbon footprint, the share of recycled materials, energy efficiency and recyclability.
“Our responsibility is not simply to tell customers that a product is more sustainable, but to enable them to see the data behind that claim. Credible sustainability communication must be based on data, not on the impression we want to create,” Petkoski points out.
Digital also consumes resources
Although an email, a social media post or a website does not have a physical form, behind them are data centers, network infrastructure and the energy required to store, transmit and display content. Digital marketing can therefore also be made more efficient: large attachments can be replaced with links, photos and videos can be optimized, and recipient databases can be regularly updated so that content reaches a relevant audience.
Websites in particular show how sustainability can be linked to business results. Faster and simpler websites require fewer resources while also improving the user experience. Clear SEO, quality content and optimized photos, videos and scripts shorten the path to information and reduce the amount of data transferred with each page load.
“We should not view sustainability as an additional task that comes after a campaign has already been developed. It should be part of the initial brief. Do we really need that material? Does the video have to be that large? Do we need to communicate across five platforms if we achieve almost all of the relevant impact on two? When we start asking these kinds of questions, we often achieve communication that is more sustainable, simpler and more efficient at the same time,” Petkoski emphasizes.
Whether it involves print, outdoor advertising or digital channels, sustainability begins at the planning stage. Lower resource consumption can mean more precise targeting, more efficient use of budgets and more relevant content, while verifiable data helps companies distinguish environmental claims from vague “green” promises.
“Sustainability does not mean giving up communication. It means creating greater impact through more considered use of resources,” Petkoski concludes.
