When discussions about sustainability arise, marketing and communications are rarely top of mind. Yet how businesses tell their stories—and ensure those stories are calibrated with reality—can shape public trust, drive innovation, and determine long-term success.
Jessie Sitnick, a veteran communications strategist, has built her career at the intersection of strategy and storytelling, helping organizations communicate their sustainability ambitions authentically and in alignment with their core business objectives.
After years leading nonprofit and corporate communications efforts, she launched Sitnick Strategies to help organizations navigate the complex landscape of sustainability communications in turbulent times.
Her work with organizations like WWF-Canada, Canada’s Ecofiscal Commission, and Generate Canada underscores her deep understanding of the role of communications in advancing change at the business and policy levels.
Sitnick also teaches the micro-certificate Corporate Sustainability Fundamentals for Communication and Marketing Professionals at Concordia University’s John Molson Executive Centre. The micro-certificate zeroes in on what it takes for organizations to effectively communicate their sustainability journeys in today’s environment.
“Communications professionals are often the ones left holding the bag,” she says. “They’re tasked with telling compelling stories about sustainability but are rarely equipped to engage in honest, productive conversations about what is behind their organization’s high-level commitments.”
The issue of greenwashing, wherein companies exaggerate or misrepresent environmental efforts, stems from a clear disconnect between an organization’s corporate strategy and its PR and marketing strategy.
“Historically, marketers have been expected to spin things to look as positive as possible,” Sitnick explains. “But vague claims like ‘climate-friendly’ or promises of net zero’ without real plans are now creating legal, reputational, and financial risks.”
She highlights Canada’s Bill C-59, which extends false advertising laws to environmental claims, as an example of where the puck is going on these issues. Companies making unsubstantiated sustainability claims now face significant fines. However, even without this legislation, companies that are exposed as greenwashers can face costly public backlash.
“If you’re not prepared to be honest about your progress and challenges, it can hurt your bottom line,” she warns.
While companies that exaggerate achievements risk fines and reputational damage, silence—or “greenhushing”—can erode consumer trust and investor confidence.
“In both cases, failing to communicate effectively and truthfully puts a company’s reputation at risk,” Sitnick says.
Sitnick argues that marketers and communicators should have a deep understanding of their organization’s sustainable strategies before they develop a plan to promote them. They should also be at the table to help inform corporate sustainability discussions, particularly around stakeholder expectations. Yet many professionals lack the tools to engage effectively.
Jessie Sitnick: “If you’re not prepared to be honest about your progress and challenges, it can hurt your bottom line.”
“They’re often caught between sales teams demanding results and legal departments urging them to say as little as possible,” she says.
This dynamic can lead to either greenwashing or greenhushing—where companies stay silent about their achievements for fear of scrutiny.
“The irony is that silence can create as much risk as overstatement,” Sitnick says.
Instead, she urges communicators to collaborate with internal teams to create informed, honest messaging.
“Explain what your company is doing well, what it’s struggling with, and where it needs help,” she says. “Transparency builds trust and drives meaningful change."
Systemic change requires addressing barriers that individual companies can’t overcome alone. Sitnick emphasizes collaboration across industries and with policymakers to drive innovation.
She offers the example of a company with remote installations whose private snow removal requirements were a major source of emissions.
“The problem wasn’t that they didn’t care; it was that no one manufactured industrial-scale electric snowplows,” she says.
Without collective action or enabling policies, the market hadn’t developed a solution.
“You need a pre-competitive environment where competitors can work together to identify and remove barriers,” Sitnick says. “But companies also need to demonstrate courage by being open about what is holding them back.”
Sitnick sees sustainability as a strategic imperative, not a values-driven initiative.
“Good companies have always paid attention to their impacts and adapted because you can’t have an enduring business model if you aren’t thinking long-term,” she says. “This isn’t about being a ‘good’ or ‘woke’ company. It’s about being a smart one.”
She cites pension funds as an example of integrating sustainability as a business priority. These investors are looking at a 50-, 60-, 70-year horizon. So, of course, they have to be thinking about decarbonizing their portfolios over time. They also have to think about how to communicate their decisions in a way that lines up with what beneficiaries expect of them—and those expectations can be really diverse.
“Some members are focused only on returns, while others are focused more on where their investments are going—and want a say in that,” Sitnick explains. “The key is explaining how sustainability decisions align with the pension’s ultimate reason for existing and how it helps them serve their members today and in the long run.”
Perfection isn’t the goal, she adds.
“The standard for excellence in sustainability is continual improvement. It’s about monitoring progress, being honest about challenges, and adapting as needed.”
Sitnick’s approach is rooted in realism. She acknowledges the challenges businesses face but insists transparency and strategy are the way forward.
“This isn’t about changing anyone’s values. It’s about aligning decisions with the realities of the market and the planet,” she says.
By empowering marketers and communicators with the tools to engage in honest, informed conversations, Sitnick believes companies can protect reputations and drive systemic change.
“At the end of the day, sustainability isn’t a marketing tool,” she says. “It’s table stakes for doing business in the 21st century.”
© Concordia University