If your sustainability report isn’t shaping commercial conversations this quarter, it’s not a strategy, it’s just a cost.
Sustainability is everywhere. It’s at boardroom tables, built into business objectives, featured throughout annual reports and pushed into marketing campaigns. But here’s the real question: is it actually creating measurable value for your business right now?
Before we go any further, the data tells an important story:
49% of OEMs reported increasing sustainability scrutiny from their customers.
Only 33% of OEM marketers say they use sustainability as a top differentiator, a clear gap between action and communication.
Yet 50% of contract and white-label manufacturers said sustainability credentials generated the highest customer response.
This alone shows the issue: customers are interested, but businesses aren’t converting sustainability efforts into commercial impact.
At Advanced Engineering UK 2025, we heard the same theme repeatedly, sustainability matters. Absolutely, we’d agree. Yet when we asked how it delivers immediate business benefits, the answers were often unclear or inconsistent.
The UK is adopting sustainability through various new regulations, aiming for net-zero emissions by 2050 and preparing a new reporting framework based on ISSB standards. These changes include the creation of UK Sustainability Reporting Standards (SRS), with initial reports expected early next year. However, adoption is challenged by consumer price barriers and scepticism, highlighting the need for systemic change to make sustainable actions more accessible and understandable for all.
The World Economic Forum suggests that 36% of companies plan to include sustainability KPIs in supplier contracts next year. But are they doing it because they genuinely want to, or because they feel they need to?
Either way, the gap between required action and actual impact is where many organisations fall short. Some businesses tick the boxes they feel obligated to, then move on, because let’s face it we’re all busy and have other things to prioritise. It’s a missed opportunity! This is something CWA has long recognised.
Those who can extract themselves from their own requirements and instead focus on the customer impact and value of sustainability, then go on to communicate that effectively, are the ones turning sustainability into bona fide business value.
The Gap Between Action and Impact
Most businesses have invested in sustainability initiatives. They’ve had to. They’ve set targets, published commitments and even achieved certifications. None of that should be taken lightly. It takes time and investment to get that far. Kudos for those getting as far as that achievement!
But when it comes to telling the real story of why it should matter to customers immediately, the narrative often falls flat or fails completely.
Why? Because sustainability is often treated as a compliance exercise rather than a strategic lever. The result is an overload of shared sustainability activity with little clarity on the business value behind it.
We’re all good at talking about goals and aspirations, but for example what business impact has your new all-electric fleet of vehicles delivered for your customers? It’s important to substantiate. That’s the hard part and the bit people don’t do. But it’s probably the most vital aspect.
We’re all good at talking about goals and aspirations, but what business impact has your new all-electric fleet delivered for your customers? What operational efficiencies came from reduced waste? How does your emissions reduction make your customers’ lives easier? It’s important to substantiate.
That’s the hard part and the bit people don’t do. But it’s probably the most vital aspect.
Storytelling Matters
Customers, investors and employees don’t just want to know what you’re doing. They want to understand why it helps them. They all have their own priorities, so the narrative must meet them where they are.
That’s where storytelling comes in. A strong customer-focused sustainability narrative can:
Build trust and credibility
Differentiate your brand
Turn long-term goals into short-term wins
Importantly Deloitte’s Consumer Sustainability Report outlines that “62% of consumers say they are frustrated by the difficulty of separating authentic sustainability claims from greenwashing. They want clearer, more transparent messaging from brands”
This is an opportunity for businesses willing to elevate their storytelling.
Bridging the Gap
So how do you turn sustainability into content that resonates now? It starts with three steps:
Define the value
Go beyond compliance. Link sustainability to business outcomes, cost savings, innovation, reliability, operational performance and customer loyalty.
Make it relatable
Use language your audience actually understands. Avoid jargon and focus on authentic, human, real-world impact.
Show the impact
Back up your claims with real data, impactful case studies, and tangible testimonials.
Some companies are ahead of the curve and already successfully linking sustainability to measurable business growth. One such example is CWA client, Lumo, where Sustainability is built into the fabric of the open-access rail operator. A one-way trip London to Edinburgh on Lumo emits ~6.8 kg CO₂e, compared to 149 kg CO₂e by plane. That’s 22 times less carbon output.
A customer would possibly be impressed, but would that impact their decision to travel? Perhaps not because their key priority might be different. But if that emission stat can be successfully tied to their green credentials creating an opportunity for open dialogue with ORR about new routes and therefore more opportunities for travel for customers, it becomes more valuable information.
A Five-Step Framework for Success
Here’s a simple five step approach to delivering sustainability communications effectively that you can start using today:
Audit your sustainability actions
Identify what you’ve achieved (that matters to customers)
Identify gaps
Identify proof points
Ask: why should customers care today?
This focus on customer value is the difference between sustainability as a cost and sustainability as a commercial advantage.
Map actions to outcomes
For every initiative your business undertakes split them into:
1. Short-term goals
2. Medium-term goals
3. Long-term goals
Try to focus on the short-term goals. By all means reference, medium and longer-term, but your customers want to know how it helps them now. Ask what’s the business benefit to my customer and build backwards from that proof point.
Aim to create a narrative that connects. Build stories around people, progress and the proof, not just policy.
The bottom line
Sustainability isn’t just about doing the right thing. It’s about making it work for your business now. When you bridge the gap between action and impact, you unlock real value and create content that resonates with every stakeholder. CWA is helping businesses unlock their sustainability potential. Reach out to us today to see if we can help you.
What happens next?
This article sets the stage. In the next part of this series, we’ll explore:
“Turning Regulations into Competitive Advantage”
How upcoming UK and global sustainability standards (including SRS and ISSB) are reshaping supply chains, procurement expectations, and the competitive landscape for manufacturers.