Why CMOs Must Manage Reputational Risk on Sustainability

“When it comes to climate – a brand cannot effectively power growth if it has an albatross around its neck, managing reputational risk is a huge part of a CMO's job today.”

In this episode of Can Marketing Save the Planet? we kick off our “CMO mini-series” and catch up with Nick Lembo, Head of Marketing at Isometric, a carbon registry on a mission to reveal trust in carbon markets.

Nick provides an expert breakdown of the carbon removal market he’s involved in, explaining how organisations can, and are, purchasing scientifically verified credits to offset their unavoidable emissions. We discuss a whole host of areas with Nick, focusing in at times on the role of CMOs and the tensions between ambitious growth targets and authentic, defensible sustainability commitments.

From brand and growth, which we know are intrinsically linked, to managing reputational risk, these are a core function of marketing leadership, which as environmental and societal challenges grow, become ever more complex. Nick offers pragmatic advice on building internal partnerships, finding your stories, and communicating progress without falling into the traps of greenwashing.

We discuss the situation many have watched unfold this year, with organisations seemingly pulling back from sustainability commitments or at least, pulling back from communicating them. From Nick’s perspective he reveals, "The reality that we're seeing on the ground is that organisations are absolutely still committed to climate goals and still making progress, most companies, when you actually dig a layer deeper, still have really aggressive emissions reductions and climate goals."

When it comes to communicating what you are doing, Nick explains, “the reputational risk of not meeting your sustainability claims for your stakeholders is really real and can be a real drag on your growth, I think managing that is a huge part of a CMO’s role today, if they don’t want to dilute their brand.” This episode, along with the others in this mini-series provide food for thought for CMOs and senior marketer. So…

Tune in as we talk to Nick about.

• The reality vs. the headlines – what are organisations doing.

• Credible carbon removal - the difference between legacy carbon credits and new, scientifically rigorous carbon removal, and why this matters for making defensible marketing claims.

• Why sustainability is not a trade-off but a critical force multiplier for your brand and a key lever for mitigating reputational risk.

• How CMOs can partner with sustainability officers as the internal experts, and learn to tell compelling, human stories backed by data.

• The need for CMOs to understand their organisational (sustainability) commitments, stepping forward to do the work and, communicating the small wins on the road to progress.

For more information about Nick and the work he does at Isometric visit https://isometric.com/ .

Enjoy - and if you love the podcast, share with your friends, family and colleagues.

More to come in this series… and it’s great to be back!

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We help Marketers save the planet. 🌍

Join the Marketers and organisations who have signed our manifesto, engage with our newsletter and training and, work with us to communicate sustainability more effectively. Sign our Sustainable Marketer Manifesto, and join us on our mission. Get in touch to chat.

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Our podcasts are recorded purely via online conferencing platforms, we apologise for any minor sound quality issues.