When sustainability can mean almost anything, to say something meaningful, you have to say something specific

So you want to talk sustainability

One of the first things Cambridge University’s Institute for Sustainability Leadership drums into its students is that sustainability is hard. Net zero transitions, CSRD-compliant reporting, zero-to-landfill waste, circular economies: if it’s being done properly, then sustainability can be a slog.

Worse, from a comms perspective, sustainability all too often means whatever people want it to mean. Moving beyond greenwashing isn’t just difficult therefore, it’s downright uncomfortable. It requires bravery. Transparency about one’s progress (or lack thereof). And a capacity for self-reflection that many lack.

Actions > words. Words about actions still count.

Perhaps you’re a sustainability officer. Maybe a senior marketer. Either way, if you’re reading this you clearly care about your company’s impact and want to talk about it in a productive, meaningful way.

But where do you start? You’re no energy minister. You don’t set global trade policy. All you can do is talk about your work. So how on earth do you talk about when green talk is so cheap. . .?

You get specific, that’s how

Give us evidence. Context. The nittiest, grittiest detail.

So you reduced your emissions. Great! But by how much? On what timescale? Scope 1, 2, or 3? Are you aligned with the UN SDG’s? Are you CSRD eligible this year? Next? Show us facts, figures, data, data, data. Who managed your project? Profile them! Show us a case study. Did you meet your targets? If you missed them, why? And don’t spare your blushes. Where did it go wrong? What can you do better? In a world awash with green spin, getting specific is the only meaningful way to set things straight.

So if it’s all about facts, why do I need a sustainability copywriter?

Because it is very easy for specific writing to become very long, very dense, and very dull. On a Microsoft project for example, I worked with some ferociously intelligent scientific sorts. Folk who were loath to use one sentence when ten would do. Loved a multi-hyphenate and eighteen-syllable technical jargon. These experts were so into the minutiae (and rightly so) they crammed so much “stuff” into their writing it became all but unreadable.

As a sustainability copywriter, my basic role is simplification. I simplify dense, technical source material from experts into clear, concise and comprehensible copy people actually want to read.

I’m Al, a sustainability copywriter with 15+ years’ experience.

I’ve written emissions management whitepapers for Microsoft. Sustainability reports for the likes of ASML, Jordisk Consulting and Brompton Bicycles. Websites, thought leadership articles, blogs, adverts and video scripts for everyone from Quorn to the TSK Group, the UK Science & Technology Facilities Council and many more.

I studied at Cambridge University’s Institute for Sustainability Leadership, know my way around CSRD compliance, and I just generally think sustainability is kinda neat. I’m reliable, flexible, affordable (but not suspiciously affordable), and work all over the world. You and I should have words.

Core Services

  • Integrated, Annual and ESG Reports

    Working with your marketing and sustainability teams to draft engaging, compliant ESG reports.

    View Report

  • White Papers

    Simplifying vast amounts of technical data into clear, long-form thought leadership pieces.

    View White Paper

  • Content Marketing

    Ideation, strategic content planning, thought leadership articles, case studies and campaigns

    View Site

Recent Work

The Process

How I work:

I can be as fixed or as flexible as you need. If we do work together, the project will probably look something like this:

  • Introduction: an informal chat either in person or by video to lay out the project scope, costs, deliverables, and timescales

  • Formalising: we get i’s dotted, t’s crossed, and an agreement or a contract in writing

  • Briefing & Factory Visit: you brief me and (if needed) I come see your operation to learn how you work

  • Research & Writing: I go away and do the doing, which is usually researching, writing and working up a first draft

  • Revision & Refinement: you get one major and one minor round of amends to then polish up a second draft

  • Amends & Invoicing: final amends are actioned, my invoice processed, and voila: we’re done!

Retainers & Extra Services:

Sometimes the most meaningful partnerships are those given time to blossom. While I’m all set up for one-off or ad-hoc projects, I offer a range of retainer packages for those wanting something more long-term. These include:

  • Annual, integrated, ESG, or sustainability impact reports

  • Content marketing: blogs, articles, emailers, thought pieces

  • Conceptual, creative, campaign and advertising ideas

  • Brand positioning, strategy, naming and tone of voice

  • Video scriptwriting

  • Social media and SEO content

  • Pitch decks, briefing documents and funding proposals

Ready to sharpen your

sustainability comms?

Have a specific project in need of specific writing? Say hello below!