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‘One of the comments on social media in reaction to our report, ‘The Environment, Social and Corporate Governance (ESG) opportunity for public relations’ was “actually, you lost me at ESG”,’ said Dr Jon White on our webinar with Stephen Waddington, Rebecca Zeitlin and Michelle Goodall yesterday.

While Environmental, Social and Governance is a main trend in PR in 2021, the meaning of the term is still vague for many and, as found in our recent study, two-thirds of PRs still don’t have an ESG strategy in place.

Download ‘The Environment, Social and Corporate Governance (ESG) opportunity for public relations’ report here

Here’s the video for those who were unable to attend the live event explaining the practicalities of ESG and the opportunities for the PR industry.

It was a wide-ranging discussion about a large and complex topic, but here are some of the key takeaways.

What is ESG?

As summed up by Dr Jon White, it’s ‘a new way of referring to a set of concerns that have been with us for many years. “The triple bottom line” is how it was referred to in the 90s.

‘ESG as a label has been in use for about 20 years now, and the term has been given new force by the Covid pandemic. It’s how business will need to adapt.’

‘ESG – that acronym explains less that any previous terms we’ve used in comms, actually,’ believes Jon. ‘We do have a real task of explaining what’s involved. Our practice loves jargon. We have to work against that as far as we can in this area, especially now…’

As summed up in the report, it is, at its core, ‘a call for companies to account for and report on their contribution beyond financial metrics within their scope of operation’.

ESG is a combination of environmental and social risks.  For example, the business supply chain and its environmental impact, how employees are treated and human rights acts compliance.

It also includes business governance – from how legal issues such as bribery and corruption are monitored and managed through to ensuring that the board act fairly for all shareholders.

What is the difference between ESG and CSR?

The complex of concerns grouped as ESG are significantly more far reaching than the Corporate Social Responsibility or CSR programmes.

‘Corporate Social Responsibility is a class of initiatives that’s typically led by a marketing function,’ explains Stephen Waddington. ‘The challenge there is that it’s sometimes seen as masking other activities – it can be a veneer that doesn’t stand up to scrutiny. Fortunately, we’re moving on from that.’

‘ESG considers in the absolute whole – the financial value, and environmental and societal value, also.’

Why is ESG so much more important now?

‘ESG undoubtedly one of the primary issues facing PR at the moment,’ believes Stephen Waddington.

‘This conversation was spearheaded by the UN, but why it’s so important in the last 18 months? Covid. PR has shown itself in a leadership position to help organisations integrate with complex stakeholders through difficult transitions, like moving to working from home last March, for example.

‘Covid has highlighted flaws in the use of financial metrics to measure the health of an organisation. Everyone in society has been impacted, and that impacts how companies are managed.’

Hybrid Air Vehicle’s Rebecca Zeitlin agrees that crisis has led change:

‘Obviously, crisis is an accelerant. But even pre-Covid, we saw massive change during 2019 in how people were perceiving aviation for pleasure, for example. A lot of this was driven by climate-related concerns and humanitarian issues, right through to emissions; that critical mass was building anyway.

‘In this time of crisis, PR has become aware of its potential – it hasn’t realised it yet

Whilst there has always been socially responsible investment, there has been a marked change in the investor community and the number of investors considering ESG issues will likely lead to more complete investment analyses and better-informed investment decisions.

2020 was the year that ESG investing came of age. According to data provider Morningstar, by the end of 2020 total assets held in sustainable funds hit $1.7trillion – a 50% rise on where they started the year.

What are the risks of not engaging with ESG concerns?

‘Environmental damage, exploitation of labour – the risks are enormous,’ warns Jon. ‘A large percentage of organisations will not be prepared.

‘The opportunity for public relations is alerting those making decisions to the broader range of risks that need to be considered.

‘There’s new kind of stakeholder capitalism, new demands on management. For years, we’ve been saying that you need to consider all stakeholders, or you’re running huge risks.’

Practical advice on getting started with ESG?

Hybrid Air Vehicles is already on its ESG journey, and Rebecca had some advice for the two thirds of PR leaders who don’t yet have a strategy in place:

‘Scrutiny will be on a whole company and there are so many factors to consider – you have to find the most important ones, then maintain that framework throughout the scaling process. Pick the things that matter and work on them first; you can’t do everything at once.’

Research for the report found that ESG was led by the Head of Communications/PR in 19% of the organisations surveyed.
Should comms leaders take charge on this?

‘My argument is that PR practitioners, as senior advisers, should absolutely be involved,’ said Jon.

‘In the past, it’s true that it’s been managed by issues management external departments. I would say that’s now passe. The absolute key thing from the PR point-of-view – they should be involved in these discussions.’

Rebecca added that everyone has to be on board, company-wide: ‘Your CEO must be a figurehead for this as well and your whole organisation has to have buy-in. PR owns a lot of the relationships involved in this, but be aware that these conversations have to go beyond you.’

How can PR professionals contribute to ESG?

The ‘The Environment, Social and Corporate Governance (ESG) opportunity for public relations ’ report covers 8 ways that public relations can contribute to an organisation’s strategic response to ESG planning and risk.

Stephen pointed out that anyone attending the webinar and reading the ESG report are already contributing by raising their knowledge.

‘In the survey data, we had a whole range of responses – I think you’ve got to start small with each of the dimensions. Any organisation has to recognise the reach and opportunity it has. We put together a framework in the report where we suggested where you could become part of these conversation, ranging from strategic planning and risk assessment. This has to reside and be owned by leadership and board level. But PR as a department can be a conduit to bring stakeholders together.

‘Much of the work of ESG involves reporting within an organisation transparently and plotting the journey and framing meaningful metrics. It’s important that any metrics an organisation sets are meaningful and then held accountable to those through reporting via the comms team.’

What about ESG and the PRTechstack?

Stephen and Michelle discussed the importance of having the right tools in your PRTechstack to benchmark, scan, monitor and measure ESG concerns in the media and from various stakeholders and publics.

‘A shout for Vuelio. Your interest in this area is you provide media intelligence to help organisations understand both earned media and conversations in the public sphere as they relate to organisations. So that ‘horizon scanning’, both from a risk assessment and an operational perspective, is important.’

Michelle added ‘Pulsar [our sister platform] can provide early warning signs around issues and activism through all forms of social media, and that’s important because, particularly with a younger, more diverse audience those conversations are no longer just taking place in one or two of those social platforms. They’re taking place on TikTok, Instagram and the list goes on.’

How to get employee engagement on ESG?

‘Every organisation has values – values help staff make decisions,’ Rebecca believes. ‘We as communicators need to bring that to life; we have to help staff understand what their role is. We’re organisational glue and can help glue those layers together. I think we can also be a more visible and accessible champion for the cause – when your executives are further away, comms can make things real.’

Download The ESG opportunity for PR report by Stephen Waddington and Dr Jon White here.

Looking for more on current trends in PR and comms? Here are ten more from industry thought leaders including Ronke Lawal, Sarah Waddington, Ella Minty and more.

This morning’s sessions for CIPR’s half-day conference on climate change offered advice and solutions for PR practitioners to lead on sustainable practices and strategy – something posed as a challenge, an opportunity, but also a responsibility for the sector.

Following an introduction from CIPR president Mandy Pearse, event chair Trudy Lewis led attendees through panels, presentations and discussion including Climate Group’s director of internal communications Luke Herbert on ‘How comms professionals can save the planet’ and A Plastic Planet’s co-founder Sian Sutherland sharing ‘Truth, responsibility, opportunity, risk, legacy – 5 words in 15 minutes to sum up the importance of the plastic crisis for every business’.

The role of comms professionals on pushing forward with awareness, education and action was underlined throughout the morning, with great importance placed on true engagement and interest versus surface-level messaging for profit.

‘For comms professionals, there’s so much uncertainty on how climate measures will take place, but the pathway is very clear,’ said Luke.

PR communicators have ‘one foot in our organisations and one foot in the world – you’re ideally placed on this issue. You have a direct role to play’.

Sian underlined the responsibility of comms and PR: ‘The myths and the facts are all our responsibility and we need to start telling the truth’.

On the plastic crisis, Sian shared facts not widely featured in the narrative being shared regarding climate change, that considerations of plastic’s impact on soil is often ignored in favour of concern for our oceans, and that recycling is not a cure-all, despite reliance on it as a sign of engagement in environmental issues. ‘We down-cycle plastic,’ said Sian. ‘There are no recycling fairies’.

Action alongside education is what Sian advocated for in the industry, using examples of The Plastic Planet’s ‘Sack the sample sachet’ campaign and work with Kraft Heinz.

‘It’s a failing to believe that words = action if there are no consequences,’ said Sian.

‘The pandemic has created a line – there are businesses that will step across this line… and those that won’t. They will be our future dinosaurs’.

On moving forward with action and education – advising clients to ‘go green’ – speakers Sian Conway-Wood of #EthicalHour, CommsHero’s Asif Choudry and PersonaR & WhiteElephantDigital’s Andras Sztaniszlav were ready with answers.

The first step – understanding what ‘greenwashing’ is, and how to avoid it. According to Sian Conway-Wood:

‘We’re all being greenwashed from all angles. There are companies that are doing this intentionally, and the small businesses that just don’t know any better. But we can be the gatekeepers.’

Personal, as well as professional, integrity was urged by Andras: ‘There are people that are very good at influencing, but don’t live sustainably. Authenticity needs to be considered when we talk about the responsibility of PR professionals.’

For Asif, sustainability should be part of a creative agency’s resources for clients. Making any paper used FSC-certified, making sure clients are aware that this is possible and available to them. ‘People aren’t aware that these things exist,’ shared Asif. ‘We let our clients know as an active marketing drive’.

That there is a strong business case for ESG planning and strategy, alongside the ethical concerns, is something that shouldn’t be ignored by any individual or organisation within the comms sector.

‘It’s not just about risk management; the ‘doom and gloom’,’ said Sian. ‘It’s becoming more and more of a consumer demand. Education is happening and awareness is growing – the way to be profitable is to be sustainable.

’We all know the reports, we all use the phrase climate emergency, but they can make people put their heads in the sand. That’s the same with consumers – people just don’t want to hear it.

‘We need to use our comms skills. The good news is, we’re all here, we can do that!’

Andras pointed out the changed role of PR, from ‘painting better pictures’ for companies and clients, to being part of strategy, with a seat of the boardroom, to becoming a key part of operations.

Asif summed up the mix of personal with corporate responsibility, and how vital PR will be for communicating importance, intent and plans for action on climate change and environmental responsibility:

‘People have to want to do it. You have to keep going, it’s not a subject you can get bored of. There’s going to be costs involved, you have to reinvest profits and revenue.

‘Above all, you’re doing it because it’s the right thing to do’.

Find out more about CIPR’s Climate Change and the Role of PR conference as well as the speakers and topics being cover on the website.

Looking for more on ESG? Download our report The ESG opportunity for PR and check out five reasons why ESG needs to be part of your planning this year.

The PRCA’s Misinformation in the Climate Crisis Strategy Group and Opinium have launched their first research report which shows a readiness to fight climate change misinformation within the PR industry.

200 PR and communications professionals took part in the study to explore the current perception of the climate crisis and misinformation, the challenges, and the role of communications practitioners.

Key takeaways from the report results include:
– More than 75% of professionals feel that more needs to be done by the PR industry to tackle climate crisis-related misinformation
– A fifth of PR professionals feel nervous about their organisations getting involved in the climate crisis debate
– 60% of professionals believe that clients are too eager to jump on a bandwagon talking about the climate crisis, without enough action

Opinium’s complementary study of 2000 nationally representative UK adults found that 47% of social media users admitted to consuming content related to the climate crisis that was either made up or exaggerated over the past month via social media. Only 45% of those polled could accurely describe what misinformation actually is.

‘What this research has done is give this strategy group a clear goal: to help comms professionals fight the spread of misinformation by levelling up their knowledge, celebrating genuine action and providing best practice,’ said chair of the PRCA strategy group John Brown, CEO and founder of Don’t Cry Wolf.

‘This year has to be about moving beyond intent and into action. There is a heap of extraordinary work coming from industries including energy, manufacturing and technology that is perhaps being silenced in favour of bandwagoning and greenwashing. If this strategy group can play a meaningful role in changing the narrative from one of fear, nervousness and false promises to confidence, clarity and action, then we’ll have fulfilled our goal.’

Opinium research manager Sophie Holland added:

‘Misinformation surrounding the climate crisis is a major issue which creates confusion and negativity around this debate, it’s vital that people have the correct information to inform their choices. We are delighted to be supporting the PR and Comms industry in taking a lead on tackling this vital issue. These insights certainly highlight the scale of the issue at hand here, as well as the challenges that the PR and Comms industry faces in creating meaningful action on the climate crisis with the organisations they work with.’

Results from this research will be launched at an industry panel event today at 1pm. The strategy group is asking the industry to share examples of success and best practice via this webform.

The Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR), the Public Relations and Communications Association (PRCA) and the International Communications Consultancy Organisation (ICCO) have teamed up to address mental health challenges within the public relations and communications industry.

Working in partnership with Opinium, the industry bodies have launched a survey to gauge the wellbeing of those currently working in PR. Results will be used to form a cross-industry joint summer programme with the aim of tackling the mental challenges PR practitioners face as part of their jobs. Opinium’s Workplace Mental Wellbeing Framework will provide support.

‘The impact of the stress attached to working in public relations needs no introduction,’ says CIPR chief executive Alastair McCapra. ‘The fast-paced, public-facing nature of our work means it can be incredibly rewarding but also hugely taxing. It is the single biggest threat to the profession as a whole – whatever sector, whatever discipline, and whatever level you work in – it shouldn’t have to be this way and collectively this is something we can only change by working together. The pandemic has only served to heighten existing pressures which is why now is the right time for our respective bodies to work together in playing our part to support our members and the wider profession.’

PRCA director general and ICCO chief executive Francis Ingham agrees that the pandemic has magnified existing issues:

‘There is no doubt that the industry’s mental health challenges have been compounded by the pandemic. Our people have worked under extraordinary pressure and we must now do everything in our power to establish policies and foster cultures that prioritise mental health. Every employer has a responsibility and a duty of care towards their staff in this regard. I’m pleased that the industry bodies will be working together to create positive change. This is our opportunity to create the change our industry needs.’

Opinium CEO James Endersby sees the joint initiative as a real opportunity to make meaningful change for the industry at large:

‘This has been a challenging year for everyone, with the pandemic impacting so many areas of our lives including our mental health and work lives. Given the challenges we have all faced this year, businesses now have an even bigger role to play in supporting their employees with their mental health. We are delighted to once again be partnering with the PRCA, ICCO and the CIPR to conduct our workplace mental wellbeing audit amongst their members, both agency and client side. If you don’t listen to employees, you can’t effectively help support them with their mental wellbeing – we hope our insights will help accelerate change across the sector at a global level.’

Everyone working within PR and comms are invited to complete the survey to aid the initiative – take part here.

For more on mental health stresses in the public relations industry, here are 7 ways to protect your mental health in PR and communications and these tips for staying motivated at work.

Worried about burnout? Watch our accessmatters session with KDP Consulting’s Katie Phillips on her experiences and what you can do to look out for yourself and your coworkers.