Head of Marketing
Published: 28 Jan 2025
10 min read
As climate concerns continue to grow around the world, more and more businesses are stepping up to take meaningful action. Companies that prioritise sustainability can make a positive environmental impact while also boosting their brand reputation, employee engagement, and customer loyalty.
Read about five enterprises that are championing climate action, and explore how they are turning environmental challenges into business opportunities.
Rallying customers around climate impact: Midcounties Co-op
Driving deeper employee engagement around net-zero: Mulberry
Communicating sustainability work effectively: Capgemini
Growing brand reputation and finding the ROI in sustainability: MSQ
Mitigating risks with thoughtful communications: EET Group
Whether it’s rallying customers, engaging employees, or navigating the risks of greenwashing, these businesses are setting the standard and leading the way on climate action.
Rallying customers around climate impact: Midcounties Co-op
Ecologi’s 2024 Climate Commitments Survey found that sustainability has become a core business strategy for 76% of companies. Brands that fail to embrace environmental responsibility risk losing eco-conscious customers to greener competitors. Consumers are increasingly seeking out businesses that align with their values, creating a competitive advantage for those leading on climate action.
How Midcounties Co-op engages customers:
For Midcounties Co-operative, transparency and community engagement are fundamental to the business. Their model is based on democracy, openness, equality, and social responsibility, and any profits they make allow them to support their communities.
Using Ecologi’s detailed project pages, they create engaging online content to showcase the positive outcomes of their climate initiatives. Their customers and members are encouraged to explore their collective environmental impact via Ecologi profile pages, which include sub-forests for different trading divisions. This approach not only builds trust but also fosters a sense of shared purpose among their community.
Read Midcounties Co-operative’s full case study here.
Driving deeper employee engagement around net-zero: Mulberry
Employees increasingly value workplaces that prioritise sustainability, and engaging them in climate action initiatives can lead to higher morale, loyalty, and retention. Companies that fail to involve their workforce risk losing top talent, especially as interest in climate-conscious workplaces continues to grow.
How Mulberry engages its workforce:
Luxury leather goods company Mulberry has integrated sustainability into its operations and employee journey. The partnership with Ecologi helps foster a deeper sense of ownership of Mulberry’s 2035 net-zero target among employees across the business.
Every new team member is welcomed with the funding of a tree in Mulberry’s Welcome Forest, a symbolic gesture that helps connect employees to the company’s climate goals from day one. Mulberry also funds tree planting to mark significant milestones, celebrations and events, such as their annual Festive Advent Calendar and retail training days.
These reforestation initiatives, alongside ongoing efforts to offset business travel emissions through verified carbon projects, deepen employees’ understanding of and commitment to the company’s environmental objectives.
Read Mulberry’s full case study here.
Rosie Wollacott Phillips, Head of Sustainability at Mulberry:
Our partnership with Ecologi has support employee understanding of our net-zero journey
Communicating company’s sustainability work effectively: Capgemini
Effectively sharing sustainability efforts is vital for building trust and credibility. Missteps in communication can lead to accusations of greenwashing, undermining a company’s reputation and stakeholder confidence. A survey by KPMG in September 2023 revealed that over half (54%) of UK consumers would cease purchasing from a company if found to be misleading in its sustainability claims.
How Capgemini champions clear communication:
Capgemini believes that business is vital for driving forward the global sustainability agenda and is leading by example with a bold ambition to reduce 90% of its carbon emissions by 2040 to achieve net-zero. The company excels at communicating its sustainability journey through impactful storytelling and transparency.
The partnership with Ecologi makes sustainability tangible for Capgemini employees, helping them understand what they can do to make a difference and why it’s important. By clearly articulating their contributions to climate projects and reforestation, they ensure stakeholders understand and trust their environmental commitments.
Growing brand reputation through climate action and finding the ROI in sustainability: MSQ
Our 2024 Climate Commitments Survey found that increased brand reputation was the number one driver for businesses taking climate action. Consumers and stakeholders increasingly expect businesses to align with their values and support global climate goals. Companies that deliver on their commitments not only build trust but also unlock opportunities for growth and investment.
How MSQ demonstrates the value of climate action:
As one of the first global marketing groups to achieve carbon-negative status, MSQ impressively offsets more carbon than it generates across its 13 offices. With validated Science-Based Targets for 2030, the company is committed to reducing emissions while maintaining transparency.
Through their participation in the Million Tree Pledge, MSQ has planted over 200,000 trees, with 500 more trees planted for every client pitch. The promise of 500 trees is a great offer for their commercial team, and their net-zero strategy, Science-Based Targets and partnership with Ecologi resonates strongly with clients, investors, and employees alike.
James Cannings, Chief Sustainability Officer at MSQ:
Planting 500 trees per pitch is a great slide for our commercial team. Our sustainability work plays well to our clients, too: Net-zero strategy and Science-based targets, low-carbon digital solutions and our work with Ecologi and Million Tree Pledge
Mitigating risk with thoughtful communications: EET Group
Accusations of greenwashing pose a growing risk for businesses, with many companies struggling to ensure their sustainability claims are credible and transparent. Research from GS1 UK indicated that 57% of UK consumers believe companies actively conceal information about their environmental, social, and economic impacts. Effective communication is key to mitigating this risk and building stakeholder trust.
How EET Group leads with transparency:
IT distributor EET Group’s decision to partner with Ecologi was driven by a desire to attract employees, suppliers, and customers while enhancing brand reputation and driving business growth. Transparency is key to those aims.
EET Group funds one tree for every five shipments from their European warehouses, and regularly shares its reforestation efforts at customer and supplier events, inviting suppliers to contribute to their collective impact by growing the EET Group Forest.
Ecologi’s tools—including badges, toolkits, and communication guidelines—have empowered EET to effectively and transparently showcase their good work. This transparency not only enhances credibility but also inspires other businesses to follow their lead.
Read EET’s full case study here.
Kristian Lading, CSPO at EET Group
Ecologi's transparency and ability to connect us with other users, helped build trust.
