Common Sustainability Comms Mistakes We All Make (and What to Do Instead)

Sustainability communication can be a minefield; not because people don’t care, but because everyone feels the pressure to get it right. And when you’re a small team juggling a hundred other things, it’s easy to feel like you’re one sentence away from saying something wrong, sounding preachy, or attracting the "Actually…" brigade on LinkedIn.

So we end up playing it safe. Or trying to sound more impressive than we are. Or staying quiet altogether.

Here’s the thing: most sustainability comms mistakes aren’t dramatic. They’re subtle, very human, and very fixable. And the organisations closest to their mission — small businesses, NGOs, social enterprises, community groups — are often the ones with the most interesting stories to tell… if they can avoid these common traps.

Let’s walk through them.

1. Borrowing a “corporate voice” that isn’t yours

Many smaller teams look at big-company sustainability pages and think, “Right… that must be how it’s done.”

So out comes the formal language, the strategic pillars, the carefully vague statements.

But suddenly, the warm, passionate organisation people love starts sounding like a risk-averse multinational.

A much nicer approach: Talk like you. You don’t need to sound like a board report to be credible. If anything, the human tone is what makes smaller organisations stand out.

And, let's not pretend the big multinationals always get it right. We certainly know that's not true! 

2. Waiting for perfection before saying anything

This is incredibly common. Teams don’t feel “ready” to talk about sustainability unless everything is solved, measured, certified, validated, reviewed… and ideally wrapped in a glossy PDF.

The result? Silence.

The truth: You don’t need perfection. You need honesty. People appreciate, “We’re working on this, and it’s taking longer than expected,” far more than they appreciate radio silence.

The journey is the story. Share it.

3. Making claims you can explain but can’t evidence

This isn’t greenwashing. It’s usually not knowing what counts as evidence.

You don’t need complex analytics. You don’t need a 200-page impact report. You just need something your audience can check or understand.

Evidence can be simple:

• Where your materials come from

• Why you chose a particular supplier

• What changed after a decision

• Before/after images

• A certification or supplier document

• A blog explaining your process

Small signals of transparency carry a lot of weight.

4. Leading with small wins because the big stuff feels overwhelming

Recycling office paper. A beach clean-up. Turning the lights off. Great things — but they aren’t the heart of most organisations’ impact. It’s not intentional misdirection. It’s usually comfort. The smaller wins feel easier to talk about.

A better balance: Share your small wins and the bigger questions you're exploring. Even if you don’t have answers yet. Especially then.

Audiences don’t expect miracles. They expect honesty.

5. Speaking in ESG jargon because you think you’re supposed to

It happens all the time. Someone on the team reads a report, learns a technical term, and suddenly you’re explaining Scope 3 emissions to people who barely remember what Scope 1 is.

The intention is good. The impact is not.

Try this instead: Translate the complex into the human. “What we buy has the biggest impact, so that’s where we’re focusing first.”

It’s clearer. More accessible. And far more engaging.

6. Forgetting the people story

Your people story is your superpower — whether you're a two-person nonprofit, a growing ethical brand, or a global company. People shape decisions, values, partnerships, and impact at every level.

Who you work with. Why you chose them. How you collaborate. What community you support. What values guide your decisions.

This is the emotional centre of your sustainability work, and it’s often the thing audiences remember most. If you never talk about it, you’re missing the part of your story that brings your sustainability work to life.

7. Posting sporadically, only when there’s time

Sustainability updates tend to be reactive in most small teams; something you “get to” when you’re not fundraising, fulfilling orders, running events, or solving ten other urgent problems.

And it’s not just a small‑team issue. Even in larger companies, sustainability, marketing, legal, finance, and sourcing can operate on completely different wavelengths — which leads to mixed messages, delays, and confusion about what’s actually ready to share. 

But inconsistency makes it harder for people to follow your progress or understand what truly matters to you.

A simple fix: Choose three things you want to be known for and talk about them regularly. Not perfectly. Not constantly. Just consistently.

Repetition builds trust.

8. Thinking you need certifications before you can communicate

Certifications help, absolutely. But they’re not step one. They’re often step four or five.

If you wait for them before communicating anything, you’ll delay your story for months or years, and miss the opportunity to bring people along with you.

Start where you are. Tell people what you’re doing now. Let certifications — if they make sense — become part of your future story, not the gateway to your voice.

A final thought

Most sustainability communication mistakes come from fear; fear of saying too much, too little, the wrong thing, or not the “perfect” thing. But your audience isn’t asking for perfect. They’re asking for clarity. Authenticity. A sense of direction. And a story they can believe and support.

You don’t need polished corporate language to get there. You need an honest voice and a willingness to share your journey as it unfolds. And if you can avoid these simple mistakes, you’ll already be communicating better than many organisations five times your size.

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