HSL communicates about the sustainability of public transport to more than one million residents and visitors in the Helsinki metropolitan area. Terms related to ecological sustainability are technical by nature, yet communications must remain understandable while also complying with increasingly stringent EU regulation.
Kaskas helped HSL solve this challenge by developing an ecological sustainability terminology bank and accompanying guidelines that bring together the principles and requirements of responsible communications, up-to-date regulatory information, and concrete, fact-based wording. The tool helps experts articulate sustainability in a credible and consistent way across different communication channels and also provides strategic guidance for HSL’s sustainability communications.
A strategic tool for making complexity understandable
The visual structure of the terminology bank and its practical examples make it easy to use for experts working in different roles. A clear traffic-light model for the use of different terms, along with alternative wordings, helps users choose appropriate language for communications. We also reviewed HSL’s existing sustainability communication materials and, based on this review, compiled clear recommendations for updating key messages.
The terminology bank and guidelines were openly embraced by HSL staff working at the customer interface. They sparked discussion about what ecological sustainability means in communications and what kinds of strategic choices it requires going forward. The terminology bank became an integral part of HSL’s strategic sustainability work, helping ensure that communications remain clear, well-founded, and up to date in the future.
“The terminology bank and the accompanying guidelines for trustworthy environmental communication were exactly what we hoped for and needed in order to continue communicating boldly about our sustainability work. The terminology bank has received exclusively positive feedback from our staff, and its launch sparked important discussion about the practices and impacts of sustainability communications. Kaskas was an excellent partner who took our needs into account and communicated changes smoothly from start to finish.”
— Veronica Ahonen, Sustainability Specialist, HSL
Photo: © Tapio Haaja
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