Where have the communications hidden?

When talking about global warming, the world based on sustainable, profit development did not take the predictions and numbers seriously. We are witnessing climate changes that are constantly happening and that are changing the lives of businesses, but also the lives of people. We all know that ESG comes from the English abbreviation: E- environmental, S - social and G-government. Today, this has become a strategic guideline that primarily binds corporations in this process, but soon it will bind everyone from year to year. Is ESG just a new business “gadget” or will it really take off? There are different options to calculate your ecological footprint. Who will measure it and who actually sets the rules? Where do the ESG guidelines actually lie? ESG is definitely a necessary thing. Today, ESG represents not only reporting, but also investing. I will not deal with why ESG is needed, but I wonder where the communications are in all these processes and how we, consultants, who deal with reputation creation and business development, can be even more effective.

The Global Declaration of Green Communication Responsibility is currently being prepared, in which key global associations that gather experts, practitioners, but also those from the academic community related to the communication industry are participating. The initiative for this was given by WICMI and this declaration will be a recommendation. However, as part of the communication industry, we are nowhere to be found in primary and responsible communication. Behind every ESG strategy with which corporations and organizations want to show their transparency, there are individuals and teams who define and implement support for the transformation of the green economy. There is no communication industry because it has not positioned itself as a key creator of ESG strategies in this case, but will allow the new jobs of consultants and departments for ESG to do it. Their role is just like the role of the legal department and lawyers, to check and harmonize the report of the corporation and every other organization in accordance with the legal procedures that are clearly prescribed and must be followed. So, the departments and advisers will work on the legal content, certification implementation, and introduction of methods, but when they finish their administrative work, there was a series of activities that someone accepted with a strategic decision. In order for the communication industry to set things in the right place, the methods of the document that will be mandatory for every corporation, especially the public sector, must be defined as soon as possible.

We as a communication industry must prepare a document entitled: “Green Communication Strategy”. With this document, the communication industry will emphasize not only ESG and green economic transformation but will also send a clear message that without communication experts we cannot talk about ESG, which becomes part of business and moves through the rapid evaluation of activist groups, investors and curious regulators. All this is part of the changes that must be understood by governing bodies and department managers because ESG is a pioneering global undertaking, which has its own goals and matrices, all with the goal of sustainable development guidelines.

Finally, there is the question of great social inequality in addition to climate change. ESG is a big challenge and will need to be treated and aligned with care just as financial statements are aligned. Objective beliefs will be sought, and the knowledge of auditors and experts will be sought. Although for now ESG as a standard is becoming a reality, it can, just like financial reports, if they are falsified, represent one of the new seals of crisis communication. That’s why we cannot look at ESG without a strategic document on green responsibility communications. This means only one thing, communication experts will have to get a basic education about this industry as well if they want to prepare communication strategies and give advice. ESG is an opportunity in which the communication industry should impose itself, because, without the knowledge of the communication industry, there is not a single communication process, regardless of the organization in question. The only question is how transparent and visible you want to be, regardless of legal regulations.