training sessions for your own staff, and think perhaps of offering incentives (prizes, even) for the best suggestions on ways to change policies and practice to save GHG emissions. What about advertising? You probably do that anyway, so ask your agency to come up with new copy and graphics which will highlight what you are doing. If you feel you have made a real change in seeking to become climate-neutral, and that you have some significant insights to share, then it may be worth commissioning external advisers to take charge of communicating your message as widely and as effectively as possible.

A full-page ad in the largest Swiss Sunday paper drew the attention of readers to the fact that the supermarket chain Migros reduced its CO2 emissions by 800 000 tonnes. A comprehensive footnote explains that this is counting efforts made since 1990 to improve energy efficiency in stores, optimize logistics, and introduce biogas-fuel lorries among a range of measures taken to reduce energy consumption. The advertisement mentions that the amount saved equals the emissions of 300 000 modern detached houses in one year, offering a comparison comprehensible to most readers.

Not everything Migros does is consistent with its declared responsibility as a sensible energy user. In the same communication campaign, Migros announced more transparency over CO2 emissions by launching a label for particularly low-emitting products. However, at the same time, their in-house magazine featured a large ad which offered a special discount on seedless grapes from South Africa... This is just one example of a lack of consistency in overall policy and marketing efforts that ought not to hinder the efforts made by this particular company. Nobody’s perfect, and everybody starts somewhere and has room for improvement.

http://maps.grida.no/go/graphic/examples-of-ghg-emission-amounts-20