Talking about ESG criteria is neither a trend nor just another regulatory obligation. It is a deep-rooted response to a fundamental question we must ask ourselves: what kind of impact do we want our organisations to have on the world?

Today, in this new context, good communication is no longer just about having a catchy slogan or clever wordplay. Or not only that. Now, communicating — whether at a corporate level or in product and customer campaigns — begins with acting meaningfully, with purpose, and being able to align values, strategy, and narrative. Secondly, it means turning that meaningful action into a message that is not only appealing, but also verifiable.

As our organisations adopt and deepen their ESG commitments, we open the door to rethinking corporate communication, as well as marketing and customer engagement strategies. Previously, we were often told to communicate what made us different. Now, in this evolving landscape, it may be more accurate to say: "we must communicate what defines us" — or, as others put it, to communicate from what makes us authentic.

The aim is not to claim we are sustainable — in fact, soon we may not even be allowed to say so — but to demonstrate it through our decisions, management, and real-world impact. And once all of that has been certified and verified by a third party, we’ll “just” need to explain it. And that’s where things get interesting.

What challenge do our organisations face when it comes to communication? We often agree that the energy efficiency sector is technical and can feel distant from people's everyday lives. So, in addition to the challenge of conveying our social, environmental, and governance impact, we must also translate concepts and data into a language that informs, connects, and — above all — empowers consumers in their decision-making. That is precisely the aim of European Directive 2024/825, better known as the Anti-Greenwashing Directive: “to empower consumers for the green transition [...]”.

An informed consumer is a citizen with decision-making power. That’s why our goal in ESG communication should not be to persuade for the sake of it, but to provide context, facts and meaning so that every stakeholder we engage with can evaluate and decide based on sound judgement — especially our customers. And if we can localise our communication and make it relevant to local communities, all the better.

In this regard, during the latest plenary meeting of the Cluster’s Communication Working Group, Txus Medina, Editor of El 9 Nou for Vallès Oriental, offered a valuable insight: bring your communication to the territory where you want to act, make it tangible, and ensure the local community sees themselves in it. Everyone in the room agreed he was right.

All in all, communication professionals — and everyone who interacts with their environment — face an exciting and crucial challenge. ESG communication is not just a technical task or a branding exercise: it is a strategic responsibility that requires judgement, rigour, and creativity. That is why it is more important than ever to educate ourselves, to understand what ESG truly entails, how it translates into our organisational reality, and what language is needed to make it accessible to citizens. Only by understanding the what, how, and why can we build honest, coherent, and effective narratives. And, in doing so, help drive not only the communication of change, but the change itself.