Why Marketing and Communications Staff Hold the Key to Sustainability
Heather MacBain - Head of Marketing, The University of Edinburgh and Sarah Ford-Hutchinson, Head of 'SRS' Communications, The University of Edinburgh,
Sustainability, marketing and HEs
The Global marketing sector is going through a significant period of change: short-format video content is now key; AI provides new creative opportunities; and sustainability is at the forefront of brand value. And HEI’s are not immune to these changes.
Marketing and communications (MarComms) staff in the HE sector have largely got a handle on video and AI, but when it comes to marketing sustainability, most don’t know where to start. MarComms staff are often asked to disseminate information about a sustainable project, objective or achievement in their University without being asked to be part of that change.
Why do so few HEIs use sustainability as a marketing proposition? And why aren’t we upskilling our MarComms staff to be part of sustainable changes when can have so much impact?
At The University of Edinburgh, we felt it was time to upskill our MarComms staff in both what our sustainability story is, and how they can market and communicate sustainably in a way that aligns with planetary health.
Why Sustainable MarComms matters
Sustainable MarComms is quickly becoming an essential part of marketing and communications roles in every sector. Each of the UK’s professional Marketing and Communications bodies – Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM), Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR), Public Relations and Communications Association (PRCA) and the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) - agree that marketing and communications functions - ‘MarComms’ - play an integral role in creating a more sustainable future through what organisations communicate and market; how they operate; and how they influence wider culture change. It is also estimated that in 2022, UK marketers were responsible for 208m tonnes of additional CO2 (Purpose Disruptors, 2022).
In the HE sector, marketing and communications staff are well-positioned to influence social and cultural processes and also change public behaviours via our interactions with students, staff, research partners, funders, businesses and local communities. We feel they hold the key to bigger change that Universities are striving for.
At the University of Edinburgh, we started the conversation around Sustainable MarComms at our 2023 Communications and Marketing staff conference. Around 200 staff in marketing and communications roles across the University came together to learn and share insight and best practice about sustainability. It started a surge of interest from staff who want to start embedding changes in their work to make a positive contribution to the University's Climate Strategy.
University of Edinburgh Communications and Marketing Conference 2023
Our devolved staff community
At the University of Edinburgh, we have a large and devolved community of 300 marketing and communications staff, spread across our central communications and marketing department and as well as colleges, schools, institutes and deaneries. Very quickly we realised that to have the most impact we would have to get momentum behind the whole staff community. Making slight improvements to our approach in our silos and different departments was not going to cut it. But 300 people having a cohesive approach to common goals. Now that could really make a wave!
Our survey says
In May 2024, we surveyed MarComms staff at the University to understand more about their sustainability knowledge and working practices. Around 70 staff completed the survey (approx. 23% of MarComms staff) and this has given us valuable data to develop guidance and resources to meet our audience needs. Our key findings were:
Almost all participants (99%) said they were interested in embedding sustainability into their work.
75% of colleagues lack confidence in actually implementing sustainable Marcomms practices.
Less than half of participants are undertaking sustainable Marcomms practices ‘always’ or ‘often’.
The biggest barrier to implementing sustainability, is lack of knowledge of sustainable Marcomms practices (60%).
The results illustrated that staff were primed and ready to change their ways to have a significant contribution to our sustainable goals.
Our mission
Our institutions sustainability credentials are impressive. In 2022, the University announced a multi-million-pound, long-term commitment to capture and store its unavoidable carbon emissions and benefit nature, through restoring peatlands and expanding forests in Scotland. We are also highly ranked for sustainability: 3rd in the UK, 6th in Europe and 15th globally (QS World Rankings for Sustainability 2024). However, it should also be noticed that in July this year, we confirmed that we are the largest energy consumer and carbon emissions generator in the sector.
All the more reason for us to embed sustainability guidance across our MarComms community, to ensure we are being authentic and transparent about our credentials.
So, for Marcomms staff, this puts us in a good position to promote our innovative sustainability projects, build our reputation and socialise for wider public behaviour change.
Shortly after the CAM conference in November 2023, we (Sarah and Heather) came together to start to explore whether we could lead a project to create sustainable Marcomms guidance for staff relevant to them no matter where they sit within the organisation.
We officially started the project in April 2024 when we received approval from the University’s Sustainability, Civic and Social Responsibility Committee. The project will runs until October 2024, when we will review implementation and impact of the guidance and make recommendations for further developments.
There are three key areas we are focusing on:
How to consistently articulate and promote the University’s sustainability narrative to key audiences;
How to actively support a culture shift within the University MarComms staff community to embed cutting edge sustainability into our values, and behaviours (our “brainprint”);
How to embed sustainability into MarComms processes, such as reducing the carbon and waste impacts of merchandise, digital advertising and events, or improving the biodiversity or social impacts of these activities (our “footprint”).
By the end of the project, we hope that MarComms staff understand our institutional climate and sustainability commitments and how these relate to their work, have a grounding in sustainability theory, via training, support and guidance and start implementing changes in their working behaviour – choosing more sustainable suppliers, considering lower-impact file storage solutions and amplifying our sustainability stories, for example.
This means that when the University’s updated climate strategy launches early 2025, we can ensure MarComms staff are in a strong position to be internal ambassadors and can play a more active role in its delivery.
In a lot of cases sustainability guidance already exists. But in a devolved institution like Edinburgh, it can be hard to find, access or understand. We are taking existing training, guidance and resources and combining them with new advice specifically for marketing and communications staff. Creating a ‘one stop shop’ for MarComms staff to use regularly to start to influence their decision making. We are aiming for the guidance to be easy to implement, so over time, it becomes second nature and the behaviours of our staff change accordingly.
Let’s collaborate
With most things, a mix of theory and reality is how magic is made. And this project is no different. We came together to co-chair this project combining theoretical understanding from the sustainability department and practical implementation understanding from the communications and marketing team. The output will hopefully be robust guidance that can be easily implemented by University of Edinburgh MarComms staff and contribute to our climate goals. Not, unrealistic advice that staff fail to follow.
We have commitment from senior leaders that this is a priority and have dedicated time in our roles to move the project forward as it aligns with institutional strategy as well as individual departmental objectives.
We have also collaborated with departments across the University to co-create the guidance. We are not experts in printing, procurement or photography but we have experts within the University who are. So, are working with colleagues to get their contribution and expertise. In reality, this project goes beyond the 300 marketing and communications staff and starts to impact the wider University staff.
Speaking of collaboration…
Pilot group assemble
In a devolved organisation like Edinburgh, co-creation is a great way to make sure your work is robust and also improve chances of internal engagement. We have 300 talented marketing and communications professionals on our doorstep. It is essential to have their input to co-create the guidance to make sure it it fit for purpose and could be implemented successfully.
Around 20 people are part of our pilot group, reviewing our draft guidance, piloting in their work and sharing their feedback. They also benefit from carbon literacy training and group coaching on sustainability via monthly meet ups. Pilot group members will act as ambassadors for behaviour change, inspiring and encouraging colleagues in their department to follow suit. This is why we tried to get representation of members across our University structure, MarComms job roles and grades to give valuable perspective and input to the project.
Not to mention, that the pilot group will also have great knowledge and skills to enhance their own personal CPD and career prospects. Sustainability will be part of all MarComms jobs moving forward and we are equipping these staff to be ahead of the game!
Sustainability project team meeting – June 2024
Guidance
As we write this article, we are just about to conclude the pilot project and have already published guidance on our internal SharePoint site including chapters on:
UoE climate and sustainability narrative
Design & Print
Digital advertising & web
Visual media: photography and videography
Merchandise & procurement
Event management
So far, the guidance features advice on avoiding greenwashing, eco-friendly print materials, storing photography, and setting up advertising campaigns.
The structure means that staff can dip in and out of it depending on the focus of their role.
We have also secured support from one of our leading academics in sustainable marketingto review our draft guidance. They will ensure that our advice to staff meets sector standards and will give us expert recommendations for future developments.
We are in the process of preparing a post-pilot project report for the University’s Sustainability, Civic and Social Responsibility Committee including impact we have had so far and recommendations for the long term.
Sustainable MarComms project SharePoint site
Communication
Because our staff are distributed across the organisation, communication of this project has been vital to keep everyone up to date and engaged. We have provided updates at monthly staff community forums, via Microsoft Teams posts and through their pilot group reps.
We want to make sure staff can see the journey we have taken since the conference in November 2023, and have the opportunity to get involved if and when they can.
Sector leading?
To the best of our knowledge, we will be the first UK HE institution to provide in-depth training to their entire MarComms staff community about sustainability, at this scale. And we are pretty excited about it!
Not only will it help meet our institutional sustainability targets but it will improve the career prospects of our staff and create a more sustainable future wherever they go in their careers. And that’s what it’s all about, right? Making our world more sustainable for everyone.
You can keep up to date with project developments via Heather MacBain’s LinkedIn. And contact us if you want to have a chat.
