Half of marketing staff ‘wary’ of sustainability projects

Marketing professionals are increasingly finding themselves working on sustainability projects without training and are fearful of being accused of greenwashing.

A new report published by the UK Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) has revealed that 76 per cent of marketers have participated in sustainability-related work in the last five years, and nearly half feel pressure in their role to promote their employer’s or clients’ sustainability credentials.

However, just 41 per cent of those surveyed said their companies or clients have publicly available sustainability commitments. Half are wary of being accused of greenwashing – the act of making unsubstantiated or misleading claims to give the impression that an organisation or its products are more environmentally sustainable than they really are.

Greenwashing crackdown

As the number of businesses seeking to leverage sustainability to amplify their brand increases, regulators and advertising watchdogs are taking a tougher stance on greenwashing. Consumers are also becoming more cautious, with less than a quarter now taking green claims at face value.

There are multiple types of greenwashing organisations need to avoid, and although the UK has a Green Claims Code in place to help communicators check their green claims, two in five marketers told CIM they would like to attain a marketing qualification relating to sustainability to give them more confidence.

‘We must do more to address the skills gap’

“As marketers, we are all responsible for being proactive in implementing positive changes and embracing environmentally friendly working practices,” said Chris Daly, chief executive of CIM.

“If the marketing profession is to deliver meaningful and tangible change at scale then, as an industry, we must do more to address the sustainability skills gap and ensure that marketers are equipped with the skills they need to work confidently on environmental campaigns which can encourage others, and drive the positive responsible behavioural changes needed within society.”

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