Marketing and communications
As the hub of communications in an organisation, and to the external market, marketing and communications professionals play a crucial role in creating meaning around Life Cycle Management and demonstrating the value it delivers.
Profile
Marketing and communications personnel are responsible for external relations with many groups, including customers, shareholders, potential investors and consumer organizations. Areas of responsibility can include corporate reporting, advertising and marketing, and customer liaison or relationship management.
Current Practice
In response to increasing stakeholder interest, some information on corporate environmental performance or product environmental attributes may be included in company reports. In addition, efforts may be made to engage environmentally conscious consumers through advertising. However, the focus often remains narrow, and may not satisfy investors, customers or interest groups looking for a broader and more proactive approach.
Applying the LCM Framework to Marketing and Communications
THINK:
Consider market and communications opportunities with key groups such as consumers, suppliers, stakeholders, etc., that may arise though discussions and/or projects related to improving a product's environmental performance.
ASK:
Inquire/Enquire? about current projects or efforts that might provide opportunities to promote environmental improvements in products.
ASSESS:
Research the likely market advantages resulting from particular LCM activities. Reseach the trends in your sector and the likelihood that your customers will be seeking life cycle information.
ACT:
Encourage LCM within the company so that you will be better informed and able to communicate a broader perspective on environmental concerns related to the product. Promote projects and products that result in reduced environmental impacts. Assist staff engaging in LCM studies with the external and internal communications required to obtain more information on a product's life cycle and associated environmental impacts.
Moving Towards A Life Cycle Approach
There are often opportunities for marketing and communications personnel to promote positive life cycle attributes of existing products and initiatives, even in companies where there is no explicit commitment to LCM. By focusing on the environmental life cycle of products, communications and marketing personnel can promote a new aspect of the company's environmental record. This may also help the company to see LCM's value and potential more clearly.
Communications and marketing personnel can also play a life cycle role by sharing environmental information with both suppliers and customers. Over the longer term, there may be opportunities to engage suppliers, distributors, retailers and consumers groups in strategic alliances to advance environmental life cycle initiatives.
Related Strategies
Taking the following steps will help integrate LCM ideas into current marketing and communications activities.
- Focus on efforts and specific achievements. When profiling the environmental performance or attributes of a particular product or service, focus on what the company is doing to reduce life cycle environmental impacts, and on specific achievements. Avoid general claims that your product is environmentally superior. Bear in mind that qualitative information (e.g. a decision to switch to a more energy efficient supplier, and the anticipated benefits) can be very important.
- Seek examples of environmental life cycle thinking or benefits. Ask product managers, operations staff and others what life cycle issues they have considered and the benefits derived - there are likely to be some hidden achievements that deserve to be communicated.
- Employ a life cycle perspective in environmental performance reporting. Life cycle information can be presented along with corporate reporting on environmental performance (such as environmental policies and goals, compliance with regulations). Clear reporting is made easier when performance is tracked in a consistent manner. Life cycle indicators (i.e. life cycle energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions) can serve as the basis for evaluating current performance, identifying trends and evaluating progress towards goals and targets.
- Promote the consumer's role in Life Cycle Management. Inform consumers that their use of the product is an important part of the life cycle (via advertising, product labeling, newsletters and other communication media). Focus on ways for consumer behaviour to help minimise environmental burdens (e.g. by increasing product life, minimising energy and materials consumption associated with use)
