Discover practical tips to build trust through authentic sustainability communication, and examples of businesses leading the way.
In an era of ‘fake news’, AI and proliferation of content and channels, trust matters more than ever. It’s a cornerstone of company reputation – hard won, but easily lost. Trust is particularly important when it comes to sustainability. That’s largely due to greenwashing cases, which have caused scepticism about sustainability messaging.
However, Kiwis still care about sustainability. They want the businesses they buy from to care too. According to the Kantar Better Futures 2025 report, 60 percent of New Zealanders are prepared to invest time and money to support companies that try to do good. But nearly half (47 percent) think the way businesses talk about their sustainability commitments is dishonest.
The will is there but the trust isn’t. So, how can we close that gap?
Why does trust matter so much to businesses?
The global communications firm Edelman has been monitoring trust for 25 years through its annual Trust Barometer. It says: “Trust defines an organization’s license to operate, lead and succeed… For a business, especially, lasting trust is the strongest insurance against competitive disruption, the antidote to consumer indifference, and the best path to continued growth. Without trust, credibility is lost and reputation can be threatened.”
Over the past quarter century, levels of trust in institutions have plummeted, affected by events such as the Global Financial Crisis, social media, Brexit vote and Covid pandemic.
Brands are now the most trusted institution, according to the 2025 Edelman Trust Barometer Special Report. In fact, the report says: “Trust is as much of a purchase consideration as quality and price”.
This is echoed by EY’s Future Consumer Index (2023), which found that the percentage of consumers willing to pay more for a brand they trust has increased significantly in recent years, with younger consumers especially active in checking whether companies live up to their promises.
Why is authenticity particularly important for sustainability?
Authenticity is critical when it comes to sustainability. It’s essential to build trust and credibility. The proliferation of greenwashing cases over the past 10 years has made people deeply sceptical of sustainability claims. Consumers are more informed than ever and have better access to information to check whether brands are living up to their promises. When they find they’re not, the reputational damage can be severe.
The risk has pushed some companies in the opposite direction. Many are now saying less, or even nothing, about their sustainability efforts, called ‘greenhushing’. But silence brings its own problems. If people can’t find information about what you’re doing, they’ll assume you’re doing nothing.
The Edelman Special Report says: “Trust isn’t won with purpose statements – it’s earned through relevance, responsiveness, and relentless clarity of action. To be a trusted brand today is to have purpose beyond profit and to authentically show up in culture and community.”
How can businesses build trust through sustainability communications?
Authentic communication of sustainability initiatives is essential to help build trust. Here’s how you can do that:
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Align with your brand values
Your sustainability story should be aligned with your core purpose and values, otherwise it will come across as inauthentic. Make sure your messaging is rooted in what your company genuinely stands for.
Whittaker’s has been named New Zealand’s most trusted brand for 15 years in a row, so it knows a thing or two about trust. It excels at communicating its sustainability initiatives in a way that is consistent with its brand values of quality and honesty. Its approach is understated, consistent and credible.
Whittaker’s combines clear statements about its commitment to sustainability, linking its brand of “good, honest chocolate” with people and planet. This is supported by stories, sharing its sustainability progress and challenges. One example is the story of how it has been tackling packaging.
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Be honest and transparent
People don’t expect perfection, but they do expect honesty. That means being completely transparent about your progress, even when you fall short of your targets. It means adopting a humble tone rather than boasting about successes. People will trust you more, not less, if you share the bad as well as the good.
A 2025 report from FleishmanHillard in the UK says it’s time for businesses to rewrite the script for sustainability communications. The report says: “Stakeholders are looking for more than polished success stories. They expect an honest, unfiltered look at companies’ entire sustainability journey. This marks a fundamental shift. Transparency now matters more than perfection.”
A great example of this is Icebreaker. It states: “Progress over perfection. Uncompromising transparency: we boldly acknowledge our 2023 100 percent plastic-free goal was not achieved; we proudly celebrate our failure of only reaching 96.14 percent plastic-free.” This type of bold honesty can be powerful in building trust.
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Use plain and specific language
Sustainability is full of jargon and buzzwords. Terms like ‘net zero’, ‘Scope 3′ and ESG’ mean little to most people. Even words such as ‘biodegradable’ and ‘compostable’ are widely misunderstood.
Tailor your messages to your audience and use language they would use themselves.
Be as specific as possible. If you use generic phrases such as “We are committed to saving the planet” you won’t sound sincere. You’ll sound the same as everyone else. Stick to your unique brand voice.
Ecostore has a focus on communication in its sustainability work, including a section in its sustainability report, saying: “Our customers tell us it’s important that we break down complex information to make it more easily accessible. This means thinking hard about how we talk about ingredients, environmental benefits or more functional information like recycling instructions.”
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Appeal to hearts and minds
The most effective sustainability communication tells human stories and backs them with verifiable facts. Use a mix of narrative, images, infographics, case studies and video to convey your progress. Intersperse big picture visions with facts and figures.
Rewiring Aotearoa is a master at communicating its mission of electrifying everything through a mix of clear narrative, visuals, infographics and videos. The organisation manages to convey potentially complex information in a simple, accessible format, weaving heart-felt narrative with data. Check out its LinkedIn page for inspiration.
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Keep it real
Include the voices of real people – staff, customers and other communities. Avoid stock images where possible as they can look staged and may not be true to your brand.
Avoid narrative crafted by AI as it can feel generic, unoriginal and inauthentic. Be particularly careful around the use of AI-generated images, especially of people, because of potential copyright infringement as well as high energy usage. Generating images through AI tools is associated with far more energy usage than generating text.
A high profile brand that has committed to never using AI-generated content to represent real women in its advertising is Dove.
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Back it up with evidence
Every claim you make should be verifiable to avoid accusations of greenwashing. Certifications from reputable third-party organisations like B Corp, EcoChoice Aotearoa, Toitū and Fairtrade help gain credibility and build trust.
Bennetto is a small New Zealand chocolate company with a commitment to sustainability at its core. It demonstrates this through multiple certifications, including B Corp, BioGro organic, Fairtrade, Ekos net climate positive and Living Wage, which are printed on all chocolate wrappers as well as across other communication materials.
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Be consistent
Sustainability is a long game. Your messaging needs to be consistent across channels and over time. As ecostore puts it in its sustainability report: “Wherever our brand meets customers, whether at the supermarket shelf or on social media, consistent messaging is the key to building meaningful connections”.
It’s easy to generate enthusiasm for a new campaign. The hard part – and the part that really builds trust – is maintaining it year after year.
Key takeaways
Sustainability is central to long-term business resilience and brand value. But the way we communicate it is crucial – and not always easy to get right.
In an era where mistrust is rife, we need to lead with transparency and honesty, even when that’s hard. To build trust, some of the key things to focus on are:
- Aligning sustainability communication with genuine brand values
- Sharing progress honestly, including setbacks as well as successes
- Using plain, accessible language
- Backing every claim with evidence
- Showing up consistently across channels and over time
Interested in learning more? The Sustainable Business Network’s Communicating Sustainability Masterclass on 31 March 2026 will discuss these and related issues.
