Shedding light on communications excellence

The following article is republished analysis taken from the Responsible Business Awards 2015 Winners Pack. The full report can be downloaded, for free, here

... As well as building trust, companies need to make their corporate story meaningful and relatable to their stakeholders, so the judges were looking for those that had used innovative methods to engage stakeholders in their sustainability work.

Best Corporate Communication Award

Winner of the Best Corporate Communication award was Carbon Tracker Initiative Ltd (CTIL) a financial thinktank that produces analysis, research and materials that communicate new sustainable paths to a diversified audience of fossil fuel companies, investors and the media. Judges described CTIL as “an agenda-setting business model influencing attitudes in a highly sceptical audience”.

When it comes to sustainability, getting consumers on board, whether through traditional or new media channels, is no mean feat.

Best Consumer Engagement Campaign

The Best Consumer Engagement Campaign award went to Telefónica UK (which trades as O2), creators of Europe’s biggest mobile network recycling programme. The company’s various campaigns empower customers to make informed choices throughout the product lifecycle.

These range from a pre-purchase Eco-Rating system, to discouraging the purchase of unnecessary chargers, to a new tariff that encourages customers to keep their devices for longer. In a similar vein,

Globe Telecom’s e-waste recycling programme, Project 1 Phone, was also highly commended. Encouraging people to donate their old phones and e-waste so that the financial proceeds can be converted into new schools for the benefit of Typhoon Haiyan victims, Project 1Phone generated significant social media buzz. Its video garnered nearly 500,000 views on YouTube and the initiative generated 37.2 million impressions for all its digital efforts.

Yoly Crisanto, Globe Telecom’s senior vice-president for corporate communications, said: “Educating people on how to dispose of e-waste properly and be able to do more inspires us to think of other programmes for greater social good. We are grateful for this commendation as it helps us drive our sustainability programmes further.”

Communicating that a company has delivered its corporate responsibility undertakings needs to be done in a transparent, honest and consistent way.

Best Business to Consumer Sustainability Report

The award for Best Business to Consumer Sustainability Report went to marketing communications group WPP. Vanessa Edwards, head of sustainability at WPP, said: “Since we began reporting in 2002 we have worked to improve our report each year, aiming to create a balanced account of our progress which is accessible and engaging for a wide audience.”

Best Business to Business Sustainability Report

Winner of the award for Best Business to Business Sustainability Report went to Turkish firm Brisa Bridgestone Sabanci Tyre Manufacturing and Trading, who “demonstrated excellence in sustainability transparency and reporting as a way of building growth and trust in their business”.

“We are grateful for this commendation as it helps us drive our sustainability programmes further.” Yoly Crisanto, Globe Telecom’s senior vice-president for corporate communications “It’s always pleasing to receive recognition, but more than anything, this award strengthens our belief that sustainability should sit at the heart of our business strategy.”

Best Integrated Report

The Crown Estate was highly commended in the Best Integrated Report category for its three-year strategic overview to integrated reporting, which the judges felt served as “a fantastic model for all those aspiring to adopt this framework”.

All entries to this category were very strong, resulting in two winners: paint and chemicals multinational AkzoNobel and the Swedish Government’s Swedfund. Both were praised for their clear, comprehensive and strategic approach to integrated reporting.

Commenting on his company’s achievement, André Veneman, AkzoNobel’s corporate director of sustainability and HSE, said: “It’s always pleasing to receive recognition, but more than anything, this award strengthens our belief that sustainability should sit at the heart of our business strategy.”

Entries for the 6th Annual Responsible Business Awards are now open. Click here to find out more about the new categories for 2016 and how to enter the Awards.
 

CSR  communications  RBS Awards  reporting  sustainability reporting 

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