Finding your sustainability story: how to uncover your B2B brand’s key messages

Adopting a strategic position around sustainability is not just smart for B2B brands—it’s essential. With more eco-conscious generations entering the workforce and having more purchasing power, commitment to environmental and social responsibility is now a make-or-break factor for corporate reputation and success.

By 2030, it’s estimated that up to $68 trillion in wealth will transfer from Boomers to Millennials and Gen Z, giving these groups the greatest purchasing power in the U.S. When customers in that same demographic believe a brand cares about its impact on people and the planet, they are 27% more likely to purchase than other generations. (Harvard Business Review, September 2023)

Clearly, cementing your manufacturing brand’s sustainability credentials through compelling communications and actual action is now a must, not a nice-to-have.

But where do you start on this journey to craft impactful sustainability messaging? Consider these steps to help move your brand forward.

• Audit – Take an honest inventory of all business areas to diagnose current environmental and social impacts. Identify bright spots and gaps.
• Strategize – Given the audit findings, map out priority sustainability focus areas and tangible goals for the next 1–3 years.
• Engage – Get internal teams, especially employees, actively involved in sustainability initiatives to build passion.
• Identify Platforms – Determine touch points and content types to integrate messaging.
• Find Your Narrative – Uncover the authentic stories that showcase your commitment and bring them to life.
• Give It Heart – Share compelling examples of how sustainability comes to life in your company through employee voices and community impact.
• Stay Concrete – Avoid generic terms and ground messages in specific commitments like, “We are achieving 90% waste diversion across facilities by 2025.”
• Keep It Aligned – Ensure sustainability messaging ladders up to your overarching brand purpose.
• Amplify – Equip all customer-facing teams with sustainability talking points to drive consistency.
• Set Goals – Establish KPIs for reach and engagement to benchmark performance and identify key milestones to measure success.

Remember, you have to be able to walk your talk, so substance is essential to back up your communications. Messaging should reflect real change underway. Lean on partners like suppliers, vendors and retailers to extend initiatives across your value chain.
Most importantly, view sustainability as an evolving journey versus a one-time project. Use it to keep questioning your business practices and broaden positive impacts over time. The key is framing sustainability messaging as not just savvy branding but as a way to make a genuine, positive impact on society. It’s the right thing to do, and the smart thing to do, for long-term business growth.

Ready to turn your sustainability efforts into an impactful communications strategy? Let’s connect and discuss how we can help guide you on the path to promoting your purpose-driven initiatives. Email me at april.wonsick@akhia.com.