Bridging Internal Gaps in Sustainability Goals through Communication

Julie Starr • January 27, 2025

The State of Sustainability Readiness 2024 report by IBM provides a sobering look at the challenges businesses face in achieving their sustainability objectives. One of the standout findings is the internal misalignment between C-suite executives and VP decision-makers on sustainability priorities. Additionally, regional disparities highlight the complexities of addressing sustainability across different markets. For organizations striving to make meaningful progress, clear and effective internal communication is key to bridging these gaps.


At Taiga Company, we recognize that internal alignment on sustainability goals is essential for crafting cohesive and impactful strategies. Without shared understanding and collaboration across all levels of an organization, even the best sustainability initiatives can falter. Here’s how communication can play a pivotal role in addressing internal alignment:


1. Establish a Unified Vision

Sustainability goals often involve multiple departments, from operations to marketing. When leaders at different levels have varying priorities, it’s easy for efforts to become fragmented.


Solution: Develop a unified sustainability vision that resonates with all levels of leadership. This vision should clearly articulate how sustainability aligns with the company’s mission and long-term goals.


How Communication Helps:

  • Host regular cross-departmental meetings to align on key objectives.
  • Use internal communication channels like newsletters, town halls, and video messages to consistently reinforce the shared vision.


2. Foster Two-Way Communication

The IBM report highlights the gap between executive-level priorities and the perspectives of VP-level decision-makers. This disconnect can hinder effective implementation of sustainability initiatives.


Solution: Create platforms for two-way dialogue where leaders across different levels can share insights, challenges, and feedback.


How Communication Helps:

  • Implement feedback loops through surveys or structured meetings to capture perspectives from all levels.
  • Use collaborative tools like project management platforms to keep everyone informed and engaged.


3. Address Regional Disparities with Tailored Messaging

Regional differences in sustainability challenges require nuanced approaches that consider local contexts. A blanket strategy can fail to address unique needs, creating further misalignment.


Solution: Tailor communications to reflect regional priorities while maintaining alignment with the overall sustainability strategy.


How Communication Helps:

  • Develop localized communication plans that align with regional sustainability goals.
  • Use regional success stories to demonstrate how local efforts contribute to broader objectives.


4. Empower Employees as Sustainability Advocates

Sustainability isn’t just a leadership priority—it should be embedded throughout the organization. Empowering employees to understand and champion sustainability goals can strengthen internal alignment.


Solution: Provide training and resources that equip employees to advocate for sustainability within their roles.


How Communication Helps:

  • Launch internal campaigns to educate employees about sustainability goals and their role in achieving them.
  • Celebrate individual and team contributions to sustainability through internal platforms.


Final Thoughts: Preparing for 2025

The path to sustainability readiness lies in cohesive communication strategies that bring leaders and teams together under a shared vision. As the IBM report underscores, addressing internal alignment is not just a nice-to-have but a necessity for progress.


At Taiga Company, we understand the complexities of navigating internal dynamics in sustainability communications. From crafting unified messaging to fostering collaboration across regions and levels, our approach ensures your organization’s sustainability goals are understood and embraced at every level. Let’s work together to create a stronger, more aligned foundation for your sustainability journey in 2025.

5 Everyday Items That Can Quietly Boost Your Brand

By Julie Starr • July 17, 2025
The best branding doesn’t always come from big campaigns or expensive graphics. Sometimes it’s the smaller stuff that leaves the biggest impression. Things people actually use, touch, or carry with them. That’s where your brand can quietly make its mark without needing to shout about it. If you’re only focusing on social media and business cards, you’re leaving a lot on the table. Here are five overlooked ways to get your name out there that feel natural, useful, and more personal. Thank-you slips If you’re already sending out orders, there’s no reason not to include a short thank-you slip. You can easily get these made through any decent online print shop , and they’re usually pretty cheap to run off in small batches. Just a simple note that says thanks, maybe with a reminder to follow you online or a cheeky discount code for next time. It’s quick, thoughtful, and makes the whole order feel more finished. Customers notice that kind of detail, especially when everything else they buy online comes with zero personality. You don’t need a complicated design either. Just something clean with your logo, a message that sounds like you, and maybe a social handle. The point is to give them a reason to come back or remember your name without it feeling forced. Branded zip pouches If you sell physical products, offer services, or run events, small zip pouches are surprisingly effective. Think of the kind you’d use for stationery, receipts, or travel bits. You can get your brand printed on the side and hand them out with purchases or include them in welcome packs. People keep them because they’re actually useful. They get tossed in handbags, school bags, or glove boxes and your logo just keeps turning up. Cleaning cloths for glasses or screens This one works brilliantly if you’re in tech, health, beauty, or anything involving screens or eyewear. A simple microfibre cloth with your branding on it can go a long way. Everyone needs one. Whether they use it for glasses, a phone screen, or their laptop, it’s something they hang onto. It’s not the kind of thing people throw away, and that means your name sticks around too. Receipt envelopes You might already use little envelopes to hand over receipts or business cards. Branding those envelopes is a small change that makes a big difference. Instead of someone getting a scruffy bit of paper in a plain sleeve, they’re handed something that feels a bit more finished. You can even add a message inside. Doesn’t need to be anything dramatic. A simple “thanks for visiting” or “see you next time” is enough to add a personal touch. Wet wipes or mini hand gels If your business is in hospitality, food, or anything hands-on, branded wet wipes or pocket-sized hand gels are surprisingly popular. People actually use them, especially at festivals, food stalls, pop-ups, or kids’ events. They end up in handbags or cars and stick around longer than you think. They don’t scream “marketing” either. They’re practical, and when done right, they make your business feel thoughtful. That’s what good branding does, it shows you’ve thought ahead.

How Student-Led ‘Energy Audits’ Are Cutting School Costs (and Lighting the Way Forward)

By Julie Starr • July 14, 2025
What happens when students stop waiting for adults to fix things and start conducting their own energy audits? Money gets saved. The lights get switched off. Data gets analyzed. And a quiet revolution in sustainability begins—inside schools that once overlooked their own inefficiencies. Across the globe, student-led energy audits are proving that change doesn't always need to come from a policy shift or a major capital budget. Sometimes, it begins with a clipboard, a spreadsheet, and a group of curious minds asking: Why are the hallway lights on at noon when sunlight floods the building? The Energy Detectives These audits aren’t science fair projects. They’re rigorous investigations, often done in collaboration with facilities staff, local environmental nonprofits, or even engineering mentors. Students go from classroom to classroom measuring electricity usage, checking for phantom loads , and identifying where heat is escaping in winter or air conditioning is leaking in summer. One high school in Ontario saved over $12,000 a year after its Grade 11 physics students ran an energy audit and suggested simple changes—LED upgrades, motion sensors in bathrooms, and smarter heating schedules. They didn’t just propose ideas. They pitched them with spreadsheets, thermal images, and payback timelines. It worked. Learning That Pays Off—Literally Unlike textbook learning, these audits blend real-world math, environmental science, economics, and persuasive communication. Students aren’t just learning about sustainability. They’re doing it. And the savings add up. From dimming overlit hallways to reprogramming HVAC systems that run all weekend for empty buildings, students are surfacing blind spots that administrators often overlook. In some districts, their findings are influencing energy policy. Elsewhere, the audits have inspired school boards to hire sustainability coordinators—often alumni of the student programs themselves. There’s something poetic about a school funding new books or laptops from money saved by students who found out the vending machines didn’t need to be plugged in 24/7. Why This Matters More Than Ever With education budgets tightening and utility costs rising, every dollar saved is a dollar that can go back into classrooms. And here’s where it gets interesting from a family finance perspective, too. If you’re a parent setting aside money for post-secondary savings, every bit of school efficiency helps. Fewer energy costs might mean more programming, better STEM facilities, or even bursaries. That raises a broader point: when families save for their children’s future, they often look into RESPs (Registered Education Savings Plans). And many wonder—is a RESP deduction available on my taxes? While contributions themselves aren’t deductible, the gains grow tax-free, and students often pay little to no tax when they withdraw the funds during school. A Movement Worth Replicating These audits aren’t just an exercise in environmentalism. They’re leadership labs. Students learn how to spot inefficiencies, speak up in board meetings, and make a business case for change. They don’t just flip switches—they shift mindsets. And they carry these habits into adulthood. The result? A generation growing up not only with climate anxiety, but also with tools to tackle it.