Around 20 Swedish companies, organisations and bureaus gathered in Sveriges Annonsörer, Sveriges Kommunikationsbyråer, IAB Sverige och Sveriges Mediebyråer today launched the CommToAct Planet initiative. The initiative seeks to further accurate and credible marketing and communication on climate and sustainability.
“We know that consumers and scientists think that marketing and communication play a key role in changing behaviours and accelerating the green transition. But at the same time, consumers have little trust in communication on corporate climate action. More than half of Swedish consumers think that corporate environmental and climate claims are misleading,” says Hanna Riberdahl, CEO of Sveriges Annonsörer: “That’s what we want to change.”
The CommToAct initiative seeks to build capacity, give guidance and establish guidelines in order to enable member companies to make the transition and create strong, sustainable brands.
Taking the environmental guidance from the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) as a starting point, CommToAct Planet will develop guides and educational material to help marketers and communicators to communicate on climate and sustainability in a credible manner. The industry initiative has two main aims: To leverage the power of marketing to drive sustainable consumer behaviour and choices, and to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the businesses and value chains represented in the initiative.
“The climate and nature crisis needs strong leadership across all actors and industries. We need to leverage the persuasive power of marketing and communication for accelerating the green transition through shining the light on sustainable lifestyles and on climate solutions in a truthful and transparent manner,” says Johan Falk, CEO of the Exponential Roadmap Initiative that supports the CommToAct initiative with science-based guidance.
“That includes avoiding marketing which is deceptive, phasing out marketing for fossil fuel companies, and implementing a strategy in line with the 1.5°C ambition as set out in the 1.5°C Business Playbook. We hope that as many companies as possible join the initiative and together set their compass for a sustainable future within the planetary boundaries.”
Read more (in Swedish): commtoact.se/planet