Before we embark on crafting your sustainability story, it’s important we understand the role communication plays in sustainability. As independent and boutique hotel consultants that create sustainable hotels, we tell our clients to always communicate sustainability in a sustainable way. What does this mean exactly? Let’s look at the terms “sustainability communication” and “sustainable communication.”

Sustainability communication is the act of consciously integrating sustainability into a communication strategy by telling stakeholders about your sustainability goals and efforts. The objective of sustainability communication is to raise awareness and understanding about sustainability and what your hotel is doing on the front, and to encourage action to support your initiatives. Sustainability communication is the WHAT = your unique sustainability story, which we will craft together in three steps further below.

Sustainable communication, on the other hand, is about HOW you communicate vs. WHAT you communicate. This means you are communicating in a socially-responsible and ecological manner, with no negative impact to society, the economy and the Planet. The objective of sustainable communication is therefore to reduce the environmental and social footprint of communication activities and to make sure that all can profit from it.

In The Sustainable Hotel Handbook: Communication, we outline 10 Principles of Sustainable Communication to guide marketing and communication professionals in crafting their sustainability stories in the right way. They include the important elements: transparency, inclusiveness, cultural sensitivity, clarity, responsibility, authenticity, progress, relevance, inspirational, ethical. While in the handbook we guide you through these principles with practical examples and checklists, we have included an overview in the template below, which we encourage you to download.

By communicating sustainability in a sustainable way and having the right sustainability story in place for your hotel, you build awareness for your brand, create a positive image of your hotel in the heads of guests, engage and motivate your employees, and better comply with reporting rules and regulations. Of course, you also avoid greenwashing.

Now let’s begin by following our four-step approach:

A captivating central story is the cornerstone of your communication strategy. It should build off your Purpose and be informed by your priorities. A compelling and authentic sustainability story captures what’s unique about sustainability at your hotel and touches on your overall approach to tackling it. It takes a strong stand or point of view and reflects your hotel’s unique personality.

Our practical template for download below will guide you in writing your hotel sustainability story! And the best part about it? It’s free!

When it comes to communication, the most efficient approach is the integrated communication method. Integrated communication ensures that, regardless of the channel or audience, the message is consistent and cohesive. Otherwise, you risk creating confusion and misunderstanding, which can result in a loss of trust or perception of inauthenticity.

Your central message is thus the red thread that runs through all your sustainability communications, making it consistent and coherent to your audience groups: Guest, Employees, Partners, Local community, Media, etc.

When it comes to messaging, we follow the “Know, Feel, Do” model, which is a simple and effective way to ensure People read your message, and that you inspire the correct emotion and encourage a desired action.

• KNOW: What do you want them to know about your sustainability strategy? How does it impact them?
• FEEL: What do you want them to feel about it?
• DO: What actions do you want them to take as a result?

As a next step, take your central story and address the “Know, Feel, Do” for each key stakeholder group listed above. 

Once you have defined WHAT you are communicating = your sustainability story, you also have to make sure that you are telling your story in a sustainable way. The HOW is equally important. You can use the overview of the 10 Principles of Sustainable Communication in our free template as a checklist to make sure that your storytelling is transparent, inclusive, culturally sensitive, clear, responsible, authentic, progressive, relevant, inspirational and ethical.

When it comes to getting your sustainability story done and dusted, the last step is a pretty straightforward one: test, test and test! Check how your messaging resonates with your stakeholders, gather feedback and make any necessary revisions to ensure your communication makes the kind of impact you want. Once you’re happy with it, you can build out supporting messages that go into more detail e.g. concrete actions you’re taking, specific targets you want to reach, or what you have achieved so far.

Including specific goals, targets and data within this extended narrative will demonstrate your commitment to sustainability and make it easier for People to trust you.

This story will serve as the basis of all your communications around your sustainability initiatives, and will make sure that it is not only consistent across all your channels, but credible too. By demonstrating credibility, you ultimately avoid the trap of greenwashing and increase the impact your sustainability initiatives have.

If you want to learn more about communicating sustainability in a sustainable way, check out The Sustainable Hotel Handbook: Communication, which we will be launching soon over on The Sustainable Hotel. In it, we guide you through not only building your sustainability story, but communicating it internally and externally, with insights into effective communications, practical tools such as exercises and checklists, as well as success stories and best practice examples. Check it out HERE.

Sustainable communication is how you communicate: specific, respectful, and mindful of impact. Sustainability communication is what you communicate: your goals, actions, and progress. Hotels need both. This guide explains the difference, the core principles, and the wording that helps you avoid greenwashing.

Greenwashing continues to stain the hospitality industry, with hotels making claims that are bigger than reality, and consumers are understandably distrusting as a result. Let’s look at these findings by The Sustainable Agency (2023) that show the perils of greenwashing and the risks of getting your sustainability communication wrong:

• 42% of online sustainability claims were found to be “exaggerated, false or deceptive” in a high-profile study by the European Union.
• 88% of consumers don’t immediately trust a brand that claims to be sustainable, showing the importance of walking and talking sustainability.
• 30% of millennials will unfollow accounts that believe to be posting inauthentic content.
• 90% of millennials – one of the demographics most invested in sustainable living – say authenticity is a top influence when deciding to buy.
• 40% of people wouldn’t recommend a product to their friends and family if they felt a brand was falling short on its environmental claims.
• 17% of people would actively discourage their friends and family from buying a product if they felt environmental claims were overstated.
• 55% of people are looking for companies to explain the sustainability credentials of their product compared to alternatives – simply labelling your product ‘sustainable’ is no longer enough.
• Companies who mislead online (including greenwashing) could face a fine equal to 10% of annual turnover under proposed legislation in the UK. More laws are likely to follow on questionable environmental claims made online.

To practice Sustainable Communication, it’s important to ensure your communication reflect the following:

1. TRANSPARENCY:
Promoting honesty, openness, and trust in your sustainability initiatives.

2. INCLUSIVENESS:
Promoting equality by supporting People of all backgrounds and avoiding discriminatory practices.

3. CULTURAL SENSITIVITY:
Prioritising understanding and respect of local cultures and traditions.

4. CLARITY:
Fostering engagement and building understanding among audience members.

5. RESPONSIBILITY:
Taking responsibility for your actions and avoiding harmful communication practices.

6. AUTHENTICITY:
Making your sustainability journey heartfelt and personal.

7. PROGRESS:
Continually improving your communication practices.

8. RELEVANCE:
Explaining how new sustainable products and services impact your stakeholders.

9. INSPIRATIONAL:
Keeping communications positive and inspiring.

10. ETHICAL:
Ensuring that you never Profit from difficult situations People might be in.