WorldClimate: Deloitte’s approach to create a more sustainable world
Launched in 2020, WorldClimate is Deloitte’s strategy to drive responsible climate choices. From reducing travel emissions by 50% per FTE from 2019 levels to electrifying its car fleet by 2030, WorldClimate focuses on the transition to net-zero. “We have to think about how we embed sustainability in what we do,” Annabel states. “Whether that’s through policies, actions or how we communicate with our people internally.”
Change starts from within. Annabel recognises the need to walk the talk by “setting and meeting higher standards for ourselves, as well who we work with.”
Working with a large employee pool across the globe, Deloitte is able to enforce positive choices by educating employees on how they can personally combat climate change, such as offering climate training – small actions that collectively make a significant impact both at home and the workplace.
Wider attitudes for sustainable change
So, how did WorldClimate come to be? As Annabel states, “the first and foremost reason was that it makes sense for our planet […]as well as good business sense both for us and our clients. Climate change is something people care about and need to take action on.”
The numbers don’t lie. A recent Deloitte survey found that over two-thirds of CFOs questioned said that they expected significant or wholesale change within their own business models and operations over the next decade as a result of the move towards net-zero.
This green mindset plays a key role when it comes to attracting and retaining talent – with people increasingly looking to work with organisations that prioritise sustainability. This is a two-way street. From an external perspective, more than one-third of UK millennials have made choices on the type of work and organisations that they’re willing to work with based on their own personal beliefs and values. To zoom out further, a third of consumers in the broader market are looking for brands with strong, stable and ethical credentials. As Annabel outlines, “people are voting with their feet, or their wallet, on who they choose to work based on sustainability.”
Enacting change: Challenges to delivering sustainable strategies
So, where does change start? “This is absolutely a c-suite and boardroom issue,” Annabel states. “It’s not something that marketers can opt out of. It’s something they need to be in the middle of.”
For Annabel, the major challenge for marketers lies in positioning your brand to show that you are authentically putting your money where your mouth is and taking steps to be part of the wider solution. This approach sits at odds with traditional marketing – positioning your organisation as the sole solution to a client’s challenges. “Things are different when it comes to the climate. We have to work with others to tackle this problem. It’s not just the actions of one organisation, person, leader or government. It’s bigger than that.”
This is by no means a ‘one and done’ process. Annabel stresses the importance of brands showing humility: “getting comfortable with being open and saying that you might not have all the answers, that you might have some way to go on your journey.”
Inform, engage, inspire
Sharing stories, views and teachings is the name of the game when it comes to sustainability. Working with their climate team, a group of experts around climate and sustainability, and other leading organisations such as WWF, Deloitte focuses on “creating clear, simple explanations on what can be some quite complex issues.”
For example, at the start of COP26, Deloitte produced a Lightbulb List: a collection of 30 recommended reads on climate change by business leaders and climate experts. The reason? When speaking with these industry leaders, the recurring reason that inspired them to take action came from reading a book on the topic – a lightbulb moment that will hopefully send (sustainable) sparks flying.
From an in-house perspective, Deloitte produces an annual report on their climate policies, such as the steps they’re taking to help clients integrate renewals. Deloitte also played a crucial role as implementation partner of the Earthshot prize which awards the winner a grant of £1 million to continue their environment work.
“There’s no one big bang approach here,” Annabel outlines. “It requires lots of smaller actions, consortiums and working with alliance partners.” Her key takeaway, however, is to “position yourself as part of the answer rather than the whole answer.”
The importance of an authentic brand purpose
“I think it’s a myth that people don’t have emotional connections with organisations like ours,” Annabel states. “In the professional services space, it’s all about people-to-people interaction. There’s no more emotional human connection than that.”
For Annabel, the relationships that a business has with its clients makes them want to work with the organisation again and again. And Covid-19 emphasised just that. “Businesses wanted to work with organisations that they had strong, existing relationships with.” This reliance on trust and confidence in organisations emphasised not only the importance of a solid relationship, but also a strong brand purpose. As Annabel maintains, we have ‘reconnected’ with our values during the pandemic, and the working world is no exception: “people are aligning their values to brands they want to work with and people they choose to work for.”
Above all, Annabel stresses the importance of an ‘authentic’ brand purpose. As she outlines, purpose can’t be created by marketing, but rather it must be a core truth. For Deloitte, purpose centres around how they can make a positive impact for their people, clients and society. This is not something on the sidelines, Annabel maintains, but rather embedded into the heart of the business – the ‘why’ for both business and employees. “I see my role as CMO to understand where our business has been, to shine a light on its reason for being,” Annabel outlines. “Trust and integrity are really important elements and remain central to our brand to this day. Understanding that has helped our brand remain relevant over time.”
Learning from others and understanding your client: Where to start when trying to be more sustainable
So, how do you begin your own sustainability journey? For Annabel, it’s all about learning from others, such as joining industry groups. “It’s about testing and learning different and new things,” she advises, stressing the importance of making sure that whatever steps you do take are in harmony with the purpose of the business. “You can’t have a strategy around sustainability that is at odds with that,” she outlines.
Looking further into the future, Annabel foresees an increase in businesses being held accountable on their sustainability strategies and goals. Once more, taking an honest and open approach is the name of the game here. Marketing can play a crucial role in bringing this to life, making sure to focus on that all-important ‘humble authenticity.’
Implementing this strategy primarily takes a practical role for marketing, such as running events to a sustainable standard from the food you source, to how people travel to your event and even what stands you have.
Ultimately, it all comes back to the client. A deep understanding of a client’s needs and values is where any marketer should start, and sustainability is no exception. “I think there’s a shift happening,” Annabel states. “The buyer is changing, what they’re looking for is changing. They’re aligning to their values and a more purpose-led approach.” Where do you want to sit in this changing market?
