The Sustainability Communicator with Mike Hower

Most sustainability communicators don't have the title, the budget, or the C-suite access to force anyone to do anything. So how do they get things done? That's the question at the center of this conversation with Aman Singh, Director of Global ESG and Sustainability Communications at Kenvue—the company behind Tylenol, Neutrogena, Aveeno, Listerine, and a long list of other household names. Aman h...

As the rule of law in the United States comes under strain, many companies have chosen silence. In this episode, Mike Hower sits down with business ethicist and Higher Ground author Alison Taylor to examine what corporate courage actually looks like when legal norms, civil rights, and community safety are being tested. Together, they explore why companies retreat in moments of crisis, the limits o...

In this episode, Mike sits down with Erik Hansen, Chief Sustainability Officer at Workday, to explore how CSOs have evolved into the lead communicators for corporate sustainability. Erik shares insights on building trust through transparency, making the business case for sustainability initiatives, and how companies are increasingly being asked detailed sustainability questions in hundreds of RFPs...

In this episode of The Sustainability Communicator, Mike sits down with Alexandra Talleur, an internal communications lead at HP who specializes in sustainability engagement. While companies often focus on external sustainability communication, internal communication frequently receives less attention. Yet effective employee engagement is crucial for implementing sustainability strategies and main...

In this episode, host Mike Hower sits down with Dan Strechay, a seasoned sustainability communications professional who has worked across private companies, public organizations, and NGOs. They discuss the evolution of sustainability communications, how to navigate difficult topics like palm oil and climate change, and the balance between transparency and greenwashing. Dan shares insights from his...

At a time when corporate sustainability faces unprecedented headwinds, last week's GreenBiz25 conference proved that sustainability leaders aren't backing down – they're doubling down on their commitments and getting more strategic about their communication. In this special episode of The Sustainability Communicator, Mike Hower sat down with six sustainability leaders from diverse industries to un...

As corporate sustainability teams shift to focus on regulatory and compliance, more sustainability professionals are spending a lot of time creating sustainability reports. These massive PDFs can sometimes be up to 100 pages or more and take many months to develop.  Love them or hate them, sustainability reports are here to stay. And the process can take its toll on the people who create them – bo...

In this timely Thinking Out Loud episode, host Mike Hower examines the evolving landscape of corporate sustainability as we enter 2025, offering a candid assessment of the shift from the "ESG Golden Age" to today's more complex reality. Drawing from his extensive experience in sustainability communications, Mike presents six key strategies for companies to reclaim their sustainability narrative: a...

The profession of being a sustainability communicator is relatively new – and seems to be evolving with each passing day. Success in this emerging field requires understanding the intricate goals and objectives of both sustainability and marketing teams, and developing the unique skill of translating between these often disparate organizational functions. In this episode, Mike delves into the fiel...

The results of the 2024 U.S. presidential election came as a shock to many in the world of corporate sustainability and beyond. In one night, it seemed like years of progress on social and environmental issues were shattered.  With a corrupt, climate-denying convicted criminal with blatant authoritarian ambitions heading to the White House in 2025 – corporate sustainability professionals are feeli...

As global temperatures continue to rise and we see the negative effects of a warming world, it’s becoming clear that businesses can’t address the climate crisis through voluntary action alone. Businesses need good policy to shape the rules of engagement that unlock private sector innovation to tackle tough sustainability challenges like climate.  Many companies with sound corporate sustainability...

While food isn’t always the flashiest sustainability topic, with agriculture being a significant driver of the climate crisis, strong sustainability communication is needed to educate and engage consumers to act. KIND is leading some cutting-edge work around regenerative agriculture – which comes with its own set of sustainability communication challenges. In this episode, Mike speaks with Lindsay...

The role of the CSO has changed significantly over the years, from a backroom marketing function to being key figures in their company’s business operation and growth. Roughly 183 public companies in the U.S. now employ a CSO, up from 29 in 2011, according to a recent report from recruiter Weinreb Group. Of those, more than three-quarters sit on the company’s leadership team while just over a thir...

Greenwashing law is still in its nascency, but recent regulations in Europe and case law in the U.S. is beginning to shape its future. In Europe, companies must prove that they aren’t greenwashing, while in the U.S. the burden is on the consumer to prove that a company is making false claims. As companies navigate this new legal landscape, they must tread carefully with their sustainability commun...

Now that we’re halfway through 2024, it’s safe to say that ESG has been having a “complicated” year. With the anti-ESG backlash having been largely successful scaring many companies to backtrack or downplay their social and environmental work, the future of ESG remains unclear. Despite all of this, companies must strive to maintain an “ESG mindset”, according to Matt Sekol, author of the book “ESG...

Companies have always been trying to engage young people on sustainability. But for some reason, this is getting harder. While Millennials were among the first to more heavily weigh social and environmental factors into employment decisions, Gen Z is taking this trend into hyperdrive. Companies hoping to attract and retain the best talent must tell authentic sustainability stories that are capable...

The fashion industry faces its own unique set of ESG and sustainability challenges. Understanding how to communicate complex sustainability challenges to diverse consumer audiences is critical for companies as they progress on their journeys. In this episode, Mike speaks with Ali Mize, an ESG and sustainability expert to learn more about Neiman Marcus Group’s approach to sustainability storytellin...

The words used to describe sustainability work have morphed and changed over the years — from corporate philanthropy to CSR, to sustainability and ESG. This constant change in terminology confuses even those who live and breathe it everyday and poses a big problem for sustainability communicators. What exactly should we call this “thing” we do?   In this episode, Mike interviews Raheem Cash, vice...

Over the past few years, the surge in energy in corporate sustainability has been fueled by renewed investor interest in environmental, social and governance (ESG). Sparked by Larry Fink’s 2020 investor letter, this seemed to signal a new era of investor enthusiasm for ESG information from companies they invest in. However, the anti-ESG rhetoric and increasing politicization of ESG has caused many...

With several new rules and regulations around ESG communication, sustainability storytellers must adapt. In this episode, Mike speaks with global ESG leader Tim Mohin of Boston Consulting Group to learn more about how sustainability and communication professionals can best navigate this new era. Episode Notes: Unpacking The SEC’s Climate Disclosure Rule (Boston Consulting Group) Changing Business...

The video game industry is just now “pressing start” on corporate sustainability. With comparatively low levels of resource intensity and often complex chains of custody and responsibility for social and environmental impacts, many video game makers are just now figuring out their sustainability strategies. Even still, communicating sustainability in this sector faces its own challenges and opport...

After two years of consideration and more than 24,000 comments, on March 6, 2024 the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) finally adopted its “rules to enhance and standardize climate-related disclosures by public companies and in public offerings.” These rules are part of an effort to respond to investor demand for more “consistent, comparable and reliable” information about the...

Sustainability storytelling is more important — and complicated — than ever. With so many changing expectations and regulations around sustainability storytelling, knowing how to effectively social and environmental impact is a top challenge for companies across the globe. In this episode, Mike brings in the expertise of a fellow sustainability communications expert — Whitney Dailey, Executive Vic...

- Order Sustainability Storytelling — Mike's book about communicating sustainability in business - Follow Mike on LinkedIn to stay updated on his regular insights on sustainability storytelling - Subscribe to The Sustainability Story on Substack for more in-depth analysis of sustainability communication challenges and practical advice on how to overcome them - Got a guest or topic idea? Reach out...

Writing is a lost art for many sustainability professionals. But the ability to write well continues to be critical for communicating social and environmental challenges effectively. In this episode of The Sustainability Communicator, Mike discusses key learnings from over a decade as a write and editor in the corporate sustainability space that form the fundamentals of effective sustainability wr...