From Promise to Performance: How to Connect Your ESG Report with Your Brand Platform
Wendy Blattner
Navigating the ESG Backlash
In today’s corporate landscape, ESG (environmental, social, governance) has come under significant scrutiny. In fact, mentions of ESG on earnings calls have dropped from 155 companies in the S&P 500 in Q4 2021 to just nine direct mentions in Q1 2024.1 Organizations are increasingly distancing themselves from this politically charged term, gravitating toward concepts like “responsible business” and “sustainability.” Regardless of how the terminology evolves, the principles of ESG are fundamental to sustainable business practices. By connecting ESG initiatives with your brand’s purpose and platform, you can maximize your investment in sustainability and brand building over time.
Aligning ESG Strategy with Your Brand DNA
- Provides a filter for making the right decisions for your brand
- Helps stakeholders appreciate the “why you” aspect to purchasing and employment choice
- Provides another opportunity to demonstrate your brand promise
- Makes your ESG story more impactful and uniquely yours
Otis: A New Opportunity to Define a Unified Story
After spinning off from United Technologies, Otis seized the opportunity to control the conversation and own the organization’s story by defining its ESG commitment. The team started with a materiality assessment, identifying key areas of impact. They then crafted a compelling narrative that seamlessly integrated their initiatives, highlighting how these efforts align with Otis’s core values and purpose of helping people “connect and thrive.” This cohesive approach transformed their sustainability efforts into a meaningful and unified story, demonstrating Otis’s dedication to creating positive change.
Chevron: Aligning Values with Action
Chevron, with a mature ESG practice, had an opportunity to make its individual initiatives more meaningful. The team aligned their sustainability communications with “The Chevron Way” and their core values. By grouping individual efforts under categories connected to their brand idea of human energy, the sustainability team made these initiatives true articulations of their brand in action. This alignment reinforced Chevron’s brand promise, showcasing their values of integrity and commitment to responsible business practices in creating an integrated narrative that resonated with investors, regulators, employees and customers alike.
Salesforce: Connecting to a “Platform for Change”
Through their 1-1-1 model, which dedicates 1% of their product, equity and time to community improvement, Salesforce aligns its social responsibility efforts with their brand promise of being a “Platform for Change.” By centralizing their philanthropic activities, Salesforce ensures a cohesive approach that maximizes impact and strengthens their corporate narrative to deliver a higher truth about the character of their brand. Core values like trust, customer success, innovation and equality are integral to their ESG strategy, reinforcing their mission and vision. This integration creates a unified, compelling story for their key stakeholders and enhances their brand identity as a leader in responsible business practices.
The Opportunity for ESG Integration
The ESG, or sustainability, report as simply a report card is no longer sufficient in today’s tumultuous corporate environment. Amid the noise and debate, it’s crucial to focus on the substance of these principles and the value it brings to the business beyond goodwill and reputation. By effectively communicating your ESG commitments and aligning them with your brand’s core values and purpose messaging, you demonstrate your brand’s dedication to responsible business practices. This clarity not only reinforces your brand’s identity but also ensures long-term business relevance, demand and, ultimately, success.
1Source: FactSet
2Source: The Conference Board
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