Forfatter: Steinar Haugberg

In recent years, Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) factors have gained significant importance across all industries. As the world grapples with the challenges posed by climate change, there is increasing demand from consumers, investors, and wider stakeholders for sustainable practices and transparency. The Energy Industry in particular faces scrutiny and often backlash in this area, which only makes the need to communicate positive change stronger.

In this blog post, we will explore the significance of ESG messaging in the energy sector and discuss strategies for crafting impactful messages that drive positive change and foster sustainable transformation.

What is ESG in simple terms?

ESG stands for Environmental, Social, and Governance. It is a framework to evaluate a company’s or investment’s sustainability and ethical impact.

• E: The “Environmental” aspect focuses on how a company’s activities impact the planet, such as carbon emissions, waste management, and resource usage.
• S: The “Social” aspect assesses the company’s impact on society, including its treatment of employees, community relations, and diversity policies.
• G: The “Governance” aspect evaluates the company’s leadership, transparency, and adherence to ethical practices.

ESG factors help investors and stakeholders understand a company’s overall impact beyond financial performance to promote sustainable and responsible business practices.

Understanding the power of ESG Messaging:

By effectively conveying their ESG initiatives, organizations can build trust, enhance their reputation, attract investors, and gain a competitive edge. But before you can begin to craft compelling messages, you must ensure that the organisation is doing ESG activity or has a strategy to address it. With ESG initiatives in place you can then communicate it in the best way. Here are some key aspects to consider:

Aligning with Stakeholder expectations:

Successful ESG messaging begins with understanding the expectations of various stakeholders. Conduct research to identify the specific ESG issues that matter most to your target audience. Engage with customers, investors, employees, and communities to understand their concerns and aspirations. You can create a stronger connection and foster a shared purpose by aligning your messaging with their values and ultimately use their insight to ensure the overall initiatives are inline.

Authenticity and transparency:

Authenticity is paramount when it comes to ESG messaging. Stakeholders are increasingly adept at spotting greenwashing or insincere efforts. Organizations must demonstrate a genuine commitment to sustainability and transparency to build trust. Communicate your goals, progress, and challenges. Embrace transparency by disclosing relevant data, performance metrics, and third-party verifications. Engage in open dialogue with stakeholders to address concerns and showcase a willingness to improve. Everyone is on an improvement journey in relation to ESG and it’s best to communicate the journey, even if you haven’t reached the end goal.

Highlighting impactful initiatives:

Showcase your efforts in renewable energy generation, energy efficiency, emissions reduction, and resource conservation. Highlight social impact initiatives like community engagement, diversity and inclusion programs, and employee well-being. Illustrate how good governance practices, ethical behaviour, and responsible leadership are embedded in your organization’s DNA.

Tailoring the message:

Like all aspects of eeffective communication, ESG messaging needs to be adapted to suit different communication channels and target audiences. Utilize a multi-channel approach, leveraging social media, corporate websites, sustainability reports, and press releases. Tailor your messaging to resonate with diverse stakeholders, using language and narratives that align with their interests and values. Use compelling stories, visuals, and case studies to illustrate the tangible impact of your sustainability initiatives.

Collaborating for greater impact:

ESG challenges are complex and require collaboration between energy companies, and other industry stakeholders. Emphasize your partnerships and collaborations to showcase your commitment to driving collective action.

Overall

Crafting effective ESG messaging in the energy sector is not just about public relations; it is a vital pathway to drive sustainable transformation. By aligning with stakeholder expectations, embracing authenticity and transparency and tailoring messages, energy sector organisations can convey their commitment to sustainability and build a better future.

At Project Neon, we understand the importance of crafting effective ESG messaging that aligns with a company’s mission, values, and ESG goals. We specialize in helping companies develop and refine their sustainability narratives, ensuring they resonate with stakeholders and drive positive change.

Hi, my name is Steinar, and I am Senior Communications Manager at Project Neon. I’m here to ensure that our clients are visible in the media, driving communication initiatives and help positioning companies where they want to be in the industry conversation and public perception.

Thinking back, I can easily determine that reading was the gateway to the communications profession. And in many ways, literature has informed my lifetime career choices as I have had a distinctly non-linear career path, from journalism to bookseller and IT project manager and back to communications.

As a kid, the school library was my secret paradise. An expat kid in Africa and Asia, I was painfully shy and slow in making friends. As we normally did not get together with other children on the weekdays, I spent a lot of time reading in the library. It was all children’s adventure series of course, stuff you just devour at a certain age. I am still teased by family for being spotted in gym class on the football field, calmly reading a book some distance behind the opposing team’s goal…

In my teens, I discovered two other passions that have defined my career: Photography and computers. While many people are more into the technical side of these subjects, I cared deeply about what I could create with a camera or a computer. Diving into film photography (at that time) and basic computer coding, I really enjoyed the creative side of making images or code that fulfilled a purpose.

My first published story was in the inflight magazine for Thai Airways, a whimsical account of a train ride in Myanmar. A thrill, but not a livelihood. I found that at a small local paper in Northern Norway. The job was all-round journalist/photographer, and the paper was known for investing as little as possible in a young staff willing to work long hours. I loved it, and I learned every aspect of local journalism. Other media jobs followed, but after 10 years in the media landscape in Norway had shifted a lot.

Then, one night, I was out drinking beer with a photographer buddy.

At a neighbouring table, I picked up a conversation on a local bookstore that was for sale. Rushing home, I broke the news to my wife, also a journalist. Three weeks later, we signed the contract and became the owners of a 125-year-old bookstore, straight out of “Notting Hill”. Less the beautiful movie stars, of course.

A typical choice for restless me, where the unknown beckons and I follow the Pippi Longstocking motto: “I have never tried that before, so I think I should definitely be able to do it.” But being a business owner is a whole world of different challenges. Suddenly, you’re the one in charge and can make all the decisions, and just as suddenly you are responsible for a whole lot more money and financial commitments than you used to be.

But the fun parts outweigh the serious bits. I used my computer knowledge to start Norway’s third internet bookseller from our kitchen table. We invited authors to do readings and special appearances, we had bun bonanzas to serve customers some days, and we had kids coming in with their parents to find just the right first book they would be able to read on their own. I loved opening the shop, pausing on the front step to look up and down the pedestrian street, smell the crisp seaside air and wonder what the day would bring.

My interest for the benefits computers bring, as later has morphed into a professional stint as an IT project manager for an international IT consultancy. I have my views of the downsides of digital in many arenas, but I am proud to have worked on a host of digitalization tools that make public services more accessible and help businesses profit. As usual, my digital focus is on the benefits of the tools rather than the technology itself.

This is also something I bring to communications management. I prefer to cut through the fluff and highlight the benefits of an initiative or technology in practical terms and what it does for the people and companies using them.

But sitting at a computer is not what I prefer to do outside office hours. I enjoy being physically active, preferably outdoors, either on a racing or offroad bike, or rock climbing and hiking. I also do quite a bit of DIY and redecoration work, along with some finer woodworking and cabinetry in my workshop. Add an extended family and interests for photography, international news and literature to this mix, and you can appreciate that life is busy! I do occasionally hit the couch, but end up being bored after an hour.

– Steinar