News & Updates

Overcome the overwhelm: how to engage people in sustainability

Want to interest your team, clients or stakeholders in sustainability, but finding it hard to capture their attention? Tommie Eaton, director of Clean the World and speaker at IMEX Frankfurt, understands.

He explains: “The conversation around climate change and global warming can sometimes feel so complex and unrelatable that we become disengaged. And that’s the danger zone: confusion and uncertainty cause inaction and delay. With over 5m deaths/year* linked to climate change, it's clear that we need to act – and fast.”

In addition, regulations have been introduced by the EU – with more in the pipeline–on various aspects of sustainability including corporate sustainability reporting and greenwashing. The result? The pressure's now on for businesses to not only understand, but also actively engage with these issues.

As director of Clean the World, Tommie knows a thing or two about rallying organizations and individuals to the issue of climate change. Clean the World works with over 8,000 hotels worldwide to divert soap and plastic amenities from landfills and recycle the collected soap into new bars. Sister brand, Clean the World Events (a regular impact activation at IMEX America) helps event attendees assemble hygiene kits to distribute to communities in need (the team is bringing this to IMEX Frankfurt for the first time in May – keep a look out for them!).

Four steps for impact

Tommie shares his four tips for encouraging action and making a more positive planet-friendly impact:

1. Data – here’s where some serious number crunching needs to happen. Measuring sustainability efforts in a consistent and standardized way is essential for planners to benchmark progress and share success in a way that’s meaningful for all.

We may all be at different stages of the sustainability journey, but it’s crucial to be across the data—only by doing so can we identify areas where we can make the biggest impact.

2. Storytelling – Storytelling can break down complex topics into narratives that are relatable and understandable. Stories of success and innovation can serve as powerful and inspiring examples for others to follow. It doesn’t all have to be positive, however (see number 3) - it’s important to showcase the light and the shade; what could be improved as well as what went well.

While data and statistics are crucial for understanding sustainability, they can often feel impersonal. Although numbers matter, storytelling humanizes the data by putting faces and names to the numbers.

3. Transparency - “It’s about lifting up the hood and being open about your sustainability efforts,” explains Tommie. “Don’t be scared of the elephant in the room - you don’t have to be perfect!”

Take inspiration from Clean the World Events who’ll be sharing their experiments and challenges over the year ahead: “Traditionally we’ve not spoken about our so-called failures, but it's important to be honest and talk about what’s worked and what hasn’t worked.”

4. Audience – Finally, don’t preach to the converted. “We don't need to inspire someone who's already making progress on sustainability. We need to inspire those not yet in the conversation - that's where the true potential lies,” says Tommie.

Want to find out more?

• Tommie Eaton is delivering a session: Storytelling for sustainability: Turning ESG complexity into action at IMEX Frankfurt. Register to attend the show.

• isla is hosting an Event Carbon Measurement Masterclass webinar in partnership with IMEX on Thursday April 10, 2pm BST. Find out more details and register.

* More than five million extra deaths a year can be attributed to abnormal hot and cold temperatures, according to an international study led by Monash University in Australia.