July 29 ECO-COMMUNICATION: MORE RESPONSIBLE COMMUNICATION
What is eco-communication?
Eco-communication is an approach aimed at reducing, over the long term, the environmental impacts caused by the communication professions.
Although its objective is entirely positive and sustainable, eco-communication finds itself assimilated or confused with the Greenwashing ( greenwashing), practiced by companies wishing to enhance their image by promoting their green values and concealing their real polluting activities.
This is why eco-communication must be a practice known and understood by the public, to dissociate the lie from the truth, but also by companies, in order to use it wisely.
It is therefore a question of a real CSR approach in the communication process involving a responsible attitude on several levels: raw materials, energy consumption, manufacturing sites and methods, distribution methods, product recycling, etc.
Eco-communication: Instructions for use
For a communication strategy committed to current problems, eco-communication is THE essential solution for any structure. The medium, but also the message, must therefore be consistent with the three pillars of sustainable development (Economic, Ecological and Social). Indeed, the objective is to reduce your environmental footprint while engaging with your customers and showing a certain transparency.
More responsible means of communication
- Print :
Adapt the thickness and the grammage according to the chosen support. For example, a flyer should be thin and light while a catalog can be thicker, but in any case, use recycled paper such as PEFC certified paper which contributes to sustainable forest management.
Optimize the number of pages as well as your ink consumption. In particular, favor vegetable-based inks, real alternatives to mineral inks made up of highly polluting hydrocarbons.
Finally, since 2018, it has been mandatory to display the Triman logo, indicating to consumers that paper can be recycled, on all paper media.
- Digital:
Avoid full pages, unnecessary features and auto-sounding videos which, in addition to complicating the user experience, increase your overall environmental impact.
In addition, by minimizing the size of the images, videos and documents included in your site, and by limiting the use of Flash-type plugins, you reduce your resource consumption.
- The advertising object :
Time and place of manufacture (prefer local), design, transport, end of life of the product: all the elements inherent to the object must be taken into account to minimize your impact on the environment.
Also check that the object complies with European standards and regulations.
- The event:
Choose a place close to the majority of participants, and well served by public transport in order to reduce carbon emissions due to travel.
Also think about the energy performance of the place! Indeed, many rooms now offer ecological alternatives in terms of energy consumption and sorting of waste.
Promote responsible eating by using a local service provider that favors the use of fresh, pesticide-free products.
Finally, optimize waste production: avoid distributing flyers and favor the digital format, install 3-flow sorting bins, etc.
Responsible messages
Eco-communication also involves designing messages to raise awareness of sustainable development.
First, the message must be clear and not misleading. Indeed, to rally your audience to your cause, favor a direct, precise and relatively short message.
In addition, the information must be able to be verified and proven. Trust is the best advertisement: a convinced public is a listening public. It is therefore necessary to convince and persuade of the veracity of your message.
Of course, the message should not contradict itself. We must not go against the values of sustainable development. Be sure that the product / service you are communicating about respects the three pillars of sustainable development. But don't overdo the butterfly-like "ecological" visuals (like Takagreen…) or flower.