The Communications Summit is back: on Tuesday 24 September 2024, Flows and Belga will consider the challenge of communicating about sustainability. Sustainable initiatives are a great opportunity to put the company in the spotlight, but too one-sided communication can make it look like ‘greenwashing’.
In collaboration with press agency Belga, Flows is organising the third edition of the Communication Summit on Tuesday 24 September. Both news platforms are bringing together business leaders, communication professionals, spokespeople and innovators from the logistics, maritime and transport sectors to discuss communication.
Often, companies already take a lot of sustainable initiatives, but how do you manage to communicate about them properly? Given the focus on climate, companies are often in the spotlight, and sometimes well-intentioned communication can turn into negative attention for a company.
Europe
The afternoon conference will be kicked off by a presentation by Eva Funcken, policy officer at the European Commission. She will interpret European initiatives on sustainability and explain European policy on sustainability communication. The potential risks of greenwashing will also be discussed.
The programme will continue with two companies explaining their contribution to sustainability and how they communicate about it. Indaver has been a landmark in the port of Antwerp for decades, but the company has since become European and is increasingly committed to circular economy. Traditionally, Indaver tries to create value from the waste it processes, by recovering materials for recycling or by recovering energy.
Fact-based communication
Indaver is taking this a step further and is finalising a production process that turns plastic waste back into raw material for the chemical industry. Furthermore, Indaver’s mission is to remove pollution from society, such as mercury and other heavy metals, medical waste or substances of very high concern. Chief sustainability officer Karl Vrancken explains how Indaver plays a pioneering role in the circular economy and how it succeeds in establishing a strong story around it, based on fact-based communication.
Danny Erreweyaert, communications manager-spokesperson of Evonik Antwerpen nv, explains how the company secured a new permit through dialogue with local residents and various environmental associations. Evonik is a world leader in speciality chemicals, with products that contribute to more energy-efficient tyres, more resilient mattresses, more efficient tablets and healthier pet food. At Evonik, sustainability stands for more than just reducing NOx/nitrogen emissions and CO₂. Social and civic responsibility are also central to the chemical company’s operations.
Panel discussion
Afterwards, we will engage in a panel discussion led by Flows editor Julie Desmet with several key players in the industry. The following people will join the table and share their knowledge and expertise with us: Annik Dirkx, deputy director Environment & Spokesperson at Lantis, Johan Bresseleers, spokesperson & communication advisor North Sea Port, Freek De Witte, director of Air Cargo Belgium and Tycho Van Hauwaert, policy officer Industry at the Bond Beter Leefmilieu.
During the panel discussion, we will use best practices from representatives of companies from various sectors to find the ideal way to communicate. Companies often have to reconcile different interests, such as economy, people & environment. Our panellists will explain how they do this and what rules of thumb exist to do so.
If you are interested in participating in the Communication Summit, you can register via this link.
