Terrafiniti
Sustainability Consultancy, Sustainability Consultants, Sustainability
Changing regulation, political pressure and rising customer expectations are reshaping how organisations communicate sustainability. We explore where disclosure is retreating, where scrutiny is intensifying and what this means across seven sectors - with practical guidance and a stress test to help you assess whether your strategy’s narrative and evidence stand up.
With carbon neutral claims under the spotlight, businesses need to communicate their climate ambitions carefully and credibly. Discover what carbon neutrality means in practice, the risks of misleading claims, and how to build authentic carbon communications that strengthen trust and minimise greenwashing risks.
Within weeks of each other this summer, the revised ESRS and the new B Corp standards both changed how materiality works, and they appear to point in opposite directions. One trims what you must disclose. The other sets mandatory requirements. Read together they are not a contradiction but a lesson in where materiality now sits, who gets to make judgments, and why the assessment is always worth doing well.
Clear, credible communication of future sustainability ambitions is essential for building trust and avoiding accusations of greenwashing. This article explores how organisations can articulate long-term goals without overstating progress, by grounding ambitions in evidence, setting measurable milestones, and being transparent about uncertainties and trade‑offs. It highlights practical ways to align messaging with action, balance optimism with realism, and ensure claims remain accountable over time, helping stakeholders understand not just where you want to go, but how you will get there.
A well-defined sustainability ambition is central to effective strategy and long-term value creation. It outlines where a company will focus its sustainability efforts, what it aims to achieve, and the pace of progress. By integrating strategic direction, material focus, operational planning, cultural alignment, and stakeholder communication, organisations can move beyond compliance to embed sustainability as a driver of innovation and resilience.
Sustainability professionals face mounting challenges as global pressures, climate change, ecological degradation, and social inequality, intensify. At the same time, corporate focus and resources for sustainability are under strain due to shifting political and economic priorities.
To drive meaningful sustainability performance, professionals must ensure their organisations clearly understand how emerging sustainability trends will shape future business outcomes. This requires robust strategic analysis to build clarity, secure internal buy-in, and establish a credible business case.
Despite external pressures, the urgency for corporate sustainability remains unchanged. It is a strategic necessity, and its success depends on informed assessment, deliberate planning, and decisive action.
Terrafiniti worked with WBCSD’s Corporate Performance & Accountability programme by researching and writing the July 2025 report ‘Managing Uncertainty in Sustainability Disclosure’. The publication offers practical guidance, analysis, and examples to help companies navigate the complexities of sustainability reporting - particularly in addressing and communicating uncertainty and its financial implications. Drawing on expert insights and collaboration with WBCSD members, standard setters, accountants, and investors, the report distils key challenges and requirements. It supports businesses in aligning their disclosures with the European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS) and IFRS Sustainability Disclosure Standards (IFRS S1 and S2).
Two major coffee brands, Lavazza and Dualit, have had their adverts banned by the UK’s Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) for making misleading claims that their coffee pods and bags were ‘compostable’.
The ASA found that both companies gave the false impression that these products could be disposed of in domestic compost bins, when in reality they require specialist industrial composting facilities to break down properly.
Both brands argued that their products were certified to the European Standard EN13432, indicating industrial compostability, and claimed they did not intend to suggest home composting was possible. However, the ASA ruled that the term ‘compostable’ in the context of consumer products for home use would likely be interpreted by the average consumer as suitable for home composting.
The watchdog emphasised that failing to clarify such distinctions risks misleading consumers. The cases highlight the importance for brands to provide clear, accurate, and substantiated environmental claims, ensuring that consumers are not misled about the details of product disposal. The ruling serves as a lesson for marketeers that context, nuance and precision are essential to avoid regulatory action and reputational damage.
As environmental concerns take centre stage, the importance of responsible communication within Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is paramount. It extends beyond mere transparency and clarity; it embodies a company’s authentic commitment to sustainable practices. This concept is vital for building trust with clients, stakeholders, and the wider public, ensuring that environmental issues are addressed sincerely, …
Reputation is widely regarded as one the most valuable assets of an organisation. Sustainability can also be an important contributor to both reputation and several dimensions of business value.
In this article we explore different dimensions of reputational risk, how it might be affected and how you can protect it.
To drive change in their organisations, sustainability professionals have to be effective influencers as well as content experts.
However, navigating how to develop the right messages for the right audiences can present a range of challenges, especially when sustainability can be complex, nuanced, and the subject of assumptions and strong passions.
Understanding the nature and types of communication that are used and valued by different groups, functions and professions in your organisation is fundamental to success.
Even within a single organisation, ways of thinking, cultural norms and professional perspectives can vary widely. Successful sustainability communication needs to recognise and utilise this diversity.
ESG and Corporate Sustainability reporting with an investor focus is increasing in importance. Many company reports are still stronger on rhetoric than on providing a clear picture of sustainability issues, impacts and risks. In addition, there are still challenges in how companies identify which of these issues, impacts and risks are material to the company now and in the future. Joss Tantram, Partner at Terrafiniti, reviews regulatory guidance for ESG and sustainability reporting and considers the fundamentals of good disclosure for stakeholders while enhancing investor engagement.
