The Beekly: Mike Hower, Author of Sustainability Storytelling
What does it take to tell a sustainability story that's credible, compelling, and actually moves people to act?
As regulatory pressure mounts, greenwashing scrutiny intensifies, and corporate sustainability teams find themselves navigating legal, communications, and government affairs all at once — the stakes for getting the story right have never been higher.
Mike Hower spent years on the front lines of sustainability communications before distilling what he learned into his debut book, Sustainability Storytelling: Communicate Trust, Brand Value and Better Business. In this conversation, Mike breaks down the frameworks, pitfalls, and principles that separate sustainability stories that build trust from those that backfire.
We'll cover:
Why most sustainability communication fails — and what credible storytelling actually requires
How to align sustainability, legal, and communications teams around a coherent narrative
The compliance-authenticity tension: avoiding greenwashing without going silent
How leading companies like Mars, PepsiCo, and Salesforce are getting it right
What the current political climate means for sustainability messaging strategy
Whether you're a sustainability practitioner, communications lead, or executive trying to figure out what your company should (and shouldn't) be saying right now, this is a conversation worth having.