Green is the New Black
It’s true, but we are not talking about fashion. Green and cleantech companies are becoming integral to a number of industries. Companies that show they’re becoming greener, or that make a real effort to reduce and/or offset their carbon footprint, are finding their green credentials also have a positive effect on their customers and can influence potential new ones.
Raising awareness
A key factor for cleantech companies is raising the public awareness of environmental issues and communicating and engaging on green policies, green ideas, green fuels etc. If you’re a “green company” then “green PR” or “cleantech PR” is crucial in making sure your green credentials are heard and understood.
Education, education, education
So what kind of PR techniques can be used? Well, good green PR can often focus on educating consumers and businesses on the impacts their green choices can have.
For example, take cycling to work. Most of us just get to and from work the easiest possible way. However, if we choose to cycle, what impact does that choice we make have on the environment, and what does that choice mean for us?
And what are effective ways to communicate this message? One of the most popular ways, now circulating social media platforms as well as the more traditional media channels, is to relate everything back to us as individuals. So if 100 people cycle to work then x tonnes of carbon dioxide will be saved from being released into the atmosphere. Cycling to work will burn off x number of calories, which means you can have an extra glass of wine or a latte as a treat in the morning say. Finally, cycling to work will save you £xs in fuel or transport costs….
Communicating green PR in this way, using relevant, accurate statistics, also helps to position green companies’ credibility in a world where everyday more companies are questionably jumping on the green ‘bandwagon’.
So you can see how this type of green PR can both educate the consumer or business on the benefits of cycling, but it also goes further than that… By providing tangible personalised examples (and utilising social media PR well) we can make our campaigns work harder to ensure that a wider audience of consumers or business decision makers actually begin to engage with relevant green issues.
