From Messaging to Systems: Key Takeaways from the Enterprise Ireland Webinar
This week, Colectivo joined the Sustainable Enterprise Webinar Series hosted by Enterprise Ireland to explore one of the most pressing challenges organisations face today:
How to communicate sustainability in a way that is credible, compliant, and meaningful.
The session brought together perspectives from policy, technology, and practice, with our founder Laura McDermott chatting with Sean Boyle, founder of UnitMode, and Carlota de Paula Coelho, Policy from B Lab Global. Together, the discussion unpacked what responsible communication looks like in an increasingly regulated and scrutinised landscape.
A Shift Driven by Regulation
The conversation was grounded in the EU’s Empowering Consumers for the Green Transition (ECGT) Directive. This directive aims to eliminate vague and misleading environmental claims, ensuring that consumers can trust what businesses communicate and make informed decisions. With enforcement set for September 2026, organisations must ensure that all sustainability claims are:
Evidence-based
Verifiable
Clearly communicated
This represents a fundamental shift. Sustainability communication is no longer just a branding exercise. It is becoming a compliance requirement.
The Credibility Gap
One of the most striking insights shared during the session was shared by Sean Boyle regarding the scale of the credibility challenge. According to the European Commission Research Findings highlighted during the webinar shows that:
53% of environmental claims are vague, misleading, or unfounded
40% are completely unsubstantiated
Many organisations are communicating faster than they are building the systems to support those claims. The result is a growing gap between intention and credibility, creating both reputational and regulatory risk.
From Greenwashing to Greenshouting
A key concept explored during the webinar was the shift from:
Greenwashing: saying more than you do
Greenhushing: doing more than you say
Greenshouting: communicating real, verified progress transparently
This evolution reflects a broader change in expectations.Organisations are no longer rewarded for bold or vague claims. They are rewarded for clarity, transparency, and evidence.
Designing Responsible Communication
A central theme throughout the session was that responsible communication must be designed by default, not added at the end. This requires organisations to rethink how communication is structured internally, and Laura posed the following questions to get participants thinking about their current contexts:
Are teams aligned on what can be credibly communicated?
Is there clear evidence behind every claim?
Are risks and opportunities understood before messages go live?
Responsible communication is not just about external messaging. It is about internal alignment, governance, and systems.
From Insight to Action
The webinar concluded with a clear set of next steps for organisations looking to prepare for the upcoming regulatory changes:
Internal Alignment: Understand where you are in your sustainability journey and identify what you can confidently communicate.
Analyse, Adjust, Embed: Map your claims against verifiable evidence, and build the processes needed to ensure future communication is consistent and compliant.
Build Capability: Equip teams with the knowledge, tools, and frameworks required to navigate sustainability communication responsibly.
These steps move organisations from reactive communication toward structured, system-level approaches.
Communication as a System
At Colectivo, we approach this challenge through a Redesign lens. Communication is not the final step in a sustainability journey. It is embedded within it. When designed correctly, communication becomes:
A reflection of real impact
A tool for alignment and decision-making
A driver of trust and long-term value
Looking Ahead
With the ECGT Directive enforcement set for September 2026, organisations have a limited window to adapt. Those who act now have the opportunity to move beyond compliance and build communication systems that are credible, resilient, and future-proof.
📩 If you’re looking to redesign your sustainability communication systems or explore our Sustainable Comms Sprints, get in touch with our team at projects@colectivo.ie
