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PUBLIC RELATIONS
Wednesday 29th January 2020

A race to the top? How companies can build a sustainable reputation

By Claire Barraclough, Communications Advisor, World Benchmarking Alliance,

The pressure on companies to deliver on the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals is rising.

The World Benchmarking Alliance’s (WBA) release of the SDG2000 list is an opportunity for communications professionals keen to drive change. The list of the 2,000 companies having the most influence across seven key transformation areas, provides independently verified proof of the need for an embedded sustainability strategy, or… a need to take internal stakeholders on a journey to get one and fast.

As part of our mission to drive corporate action on the issues that matter most to everyone and create a global accountability mechanism, WBA will now rank the performance of the 2000 listed, private and state-owned companies on the SDGs using methodologies reviewed and approved by leading research bodies from the UN, inter-governmental sources, industry, academia and civil society.

The ranking, freely and publicly available for all, will hold the named companies to account as well as highlighting peer-to-peer performance. This has a clear benefit for the companies and their leaders to make the changes necessary for real impact.

There are reputational benefits too, through driving progress on sustainability, creating stronger brands and getting closer to the customer who is increasingly looking for sustainable choices reflecting their own values. This can range from who they choose to work for, spend or even save with. There are also reputational ramifications for those falling behind as the ranking will be used as a reference point by investors, the media and individuals alike.

Indeed, if you work in comms, the chances you work with one of The SDG2000 list of companies is high. The SDG2000 collectively makes up half of the entire global economy and is responsible for USD43 trillion in revenue. With a range of organisations identified including Apple, Facebook, Netflix, Tesla, Coca Cola, Tencent and Starbucks the list also reveals the influence wielded by companies and groups like Saudi Aramco, Africell and Safaricom in Africa, Cargill, Banco Colombia and Temasek whose global footprint and control over segments of production and/or service provision make them key players in future sustainability.  It also spans industries from apparel, asset management and agricultural products to telecoms, utilities and waste management by direct impact and through supply chains.

So whether it is through Investor Relations, internal comms, marketing, brand, employee engagement, media relations, reputation management or social – our view is that benchmarks drive transparency to equip financial institutions, companies, governments, civil society and individuals with the information they need to make more informed decisions.

Decisions on the issues that matter most like climate change, inequality and biodiversity. By supporting the private sector in its role to deliver on the SDGs, we believe the WBA list can help companies move from aspiration to action to achievement. With just a decade to go to meet the UN SDG’s there is an important role for communicators to play here inside and outside their organisations to find a common sustainability language  - one the world needs to see. 

Photo by Patricia Valério on Unsplash