Perspective
Make Climate Meaningful
Executive Summary
Climate action needs customers.
With the world drastically off track in its response to climate change, the time for action is now. Policy is starting to shift, but to drive scale, companies need to lead. For companies to lead, they need to believe their customers value climate leadership.
Unfortunately, we’re currently stuck in a cycle of inaction. Not because people and companies don’t care, but because they’re not connecting.
To explain: Most customers and most companies care about sustainability, but:
- Customers don’t think they can influence what companies do, and largely ignore and discount company efforts;
- Companies don’t think they can influence what customers do, and largely overlook opportunities to innovate around customers’ unmet sustainability needs
This disconnect drives a vicious cycle of disengagement.
But if we can find a way to connect customers and companies on climate, we can supercharge the world’s ability to respond to climate change.
It starts by making climate strategies meaningful to customers. We propose three key steps:
1. Understand: Start with your customers’ “why”
There are many different reasons why customers care about climate change. To connect, companies must look deeper to tap into this underlying motivation.
2. Involve: Live and share your own “why”
Customers must understand your company’s motivation and vision, and see themselves in it. If it sounds like you’re just checking the sustainability box, customers won’t take your commitments seriously.
3. Inspire: Create a beacon to bring your “why” to life
Telling a good story isn’t enough. Even if large-scale change isn’t possible as quickly as consumers would want, companies must show meaningful commitment and progress through breakthrough “beacon” offerings.
Our Perspective unpacks each step for brand leaders, offering real-life examples and tangible guidance for crafting compelling ESG and sustainability narratives.
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