Imperfect is spot on

As I browse the web, my antennas are always looking for signals of a company doing climate/people/planet positive things.

Over time, as I’ve started seeing through the smoke-and-mirrors of terms like Carbon Neutral, I’m now looking for something else. Planting trees is an amazing thing do, but when I’m looking for someone to spend money with, a carbon-offset-tree-planting scheme on it’s own rarely cuts it for me anymore.

So what else is there?

Turns out, what I’m expecting of these companies (and their websites) is potentially quite a lot – I’m looking for dedicated pages where they brag about all the good stuff they’re doing, from installing their own solar, to upgrading their fleet to EVs, to switching their suppliers, to switching who they bank with… I’m basically asking them to write a crap-tonne about all the stuff they want to get a pat on the back for.

As it turns out, a lot of companies are already doing a lot of these things, they just haven’t got around to bragging about it yet.

3 things here:

1. I believe it’s worth the effort to write up your brag, so people like me know we’re barking up the right tree.
2. Bragging in this context is 100% ok as long as it’s true.
3. Proving that it’s true can sometimes be tricky.

At the risk of instilling fear (which I despise), there’s chatter in the EU about making companies prove their climate claims, and potentially only giving them 7 days to do so or face significant fines.

This is aimed at big corps who are fudging their numbers, and using well-worn lines like “on track for Net Zero by 2035” to create a false image of doing the right thing.

For us smaller players, our key is always transparency.

Whatever claim you make–whether it’s around EVs, banking, power, or something else–offer whatever proof you can, and also draw some attention to the gap, or the part you haven’t quite nailed yet. Being imperfect is human, expected, and very relatable.

Transparency needs a little of both. If you only talk about the good and none of the gaps, you may be skirting an accidental greenwash. Don’t do that 😉

Here’s a nice example of this from Ethique – they talk about the good stuff they’re doing, but also acknowledge they will always have improvements to make. They do start with a statement about being carbon neutral, but scroll to a heading towards the bottom that says “Carbon offsetting isn’t the answer”.