Five in Five - Herdwick Q&A

Our Five in Five Q&A series delivers engaging insights on key sustainability, emissions and ESG topics - highlighting fresh perspectives from our valuable partnerships and collaborations.

This edition features our interview with Herdwick Communications.

Q1. Herdwick specialises in navigating complex communications challenges. What do you see as the biggest reputation risks facing energy and infrastructure companies today?

Not making sustainability an intrinsic part of your communications strategy is the biggest reputational risk for any company. If it is absent, an organisation’s reputation is exposed and the company will be unable to meet the demands of its stakeholders including employees, investors and regulators.

Q2. What do companies get wrong when communicating their transition or net-zero strategies, and how can they avoid “greenwashing traps”?

Every organisation must find its voice when communicating ESG, wherever it is on the journey. Sustainability communications are no different to any other type of communication, which means they must be honest, open and transparent. As practitioners, it is our role to clearly communicate factual information in consumer terms to avoid greenwashing and greenhushing.

Through our partnership with sustain:able, we work alongside the technical experts to ensure communications are considered at each point on the journey to net zero.

Combining the inhouse team’s business insight and our sustainability messaging model matrix allows us to examine your operations to create balanced communications messaging without the risk of greenwashing. Herdwick will also develop the communications strategy for each phase of the journey which is aligned to the technical strategy.

Q3. When a crisis hits - operational, environmental, or reputational - what differentiates an effective response from a damaging one?

In a word, ‘preparedness’. It is possible to identify potential scenarios for which a business will need to mount a crisis response. Each reputational risk has their nuisances and do not always follow the pre-drafted script. If you have, however, not thought about its impact ahead of time, discussed it with colleagues from across the business to understand their own response and prepared a plan with the tasks that need to be actioned, in which order and by whom, you will lose control. The demands of today’s 24/7 news cycle require a company to issue an acknowledgement statement within 15 minutes. If you have not prepared in advance by making the tasks part of your everyday processes, you will not be able to respond in time and you will lose control of the narrative.

We can speak from our own first hand experience. Having a plan in place and giving your team the confidence to perform the tasks that are required of them will enable you to maintain control of the narrative, ensuring your stakeholders' trust.

Q4. How does partnering with sustain:able strengthen your ability to create effective communications around emissions, climate risk, and energy transition?

Partnering with sustain:able, who have extensive technical experience, enables us to offer our clients a seamless approach to sustainability. At Herdwick, we felt very strongly that working alongside technical experts would ensure that communications are considered at every stage of the journey, helping make a company’s sustainability strategy even more robust. Equally, the communications are more effective as the technical aspects of the ESG reporting have been accurately understood.

Q5. Can you share a best practice approach to rigorous sustainability insight paired with strong communications?

Taking a methodical approach to reporting and communications will lay a solid foundation for any organisation developing its ESG strategies and reporting. When applied, we have seen that our sustainability communications model helps an organisation to identify strategic opportunities, highlights where businesses have sustainable differentiators, where the company is on par with the industry and where risk exists. This helps us create robust communication strategies, effective messaging that resonates with stakeholders, and, where necessary, mitigate any risks. Working together, Herdwick and sustain:able provide the perfect end-to-end sustainability solution for your business.

Thanks to Herdwick for their illuminating responses!

Did you know that Herdwick also provide a sustainability communications kit? Wherever you are on the journey to net zero, this can help to get you up and running, enabling communications that will enhance your reputation.