Let’s work together

No one has all the right answers and it’s certainly not possible for some organisations to completely switch overnight. It’s a long term process; one which involves all areas of business - least not how a company communicates with its customers, shareholders and the wider industry.

PR is therefore extremely important, but with the marketplace somewhat saturated with green labels, standards and marketing, a PR strategy is essential to ensure specifiers source the truly green products from the more ‘tenuous’. Along with this, we must have good relationships with the press to guarantee news is disseminated in the right way and through the best channels.

This challenge is why I love working for a PR agency that specialises in the construction industry - at a time when great change is taking place. We all have our part to play…

So I was a little dismayed to read an article recently in The Guardian entitled ‘Are PR advisors in danger of stifling progress on corporate sustainability?’

Yes, there are companies that should be taking more action environmentally and communicating this more effectively. And yes, I’ve no doubt for some the potential PR risk of ‘greenwashing’ may be stifling movement slightly, but I disagree with the statement that “when it comes to sustainability, the general mantra of mainstream external advisors is to play it safe….PR advisors are focussed on protecting their jobs and clients…”

You only have to have a peek on the web (Twitter) to see the huge amount of positive news floating about via videos, infographics, case studies, webinars, CPDs, testimonials to name a few, where companies and PR agencies are coming together to find the right mix of tactics to fulfil their strategies. Yes, some clients might be slow off the start, but let’s make sure we have positive stories of best practice from journalists, not negative ones – in no way are they are going to help and encourage the industry to move forward.