Sustainability Storytelling: Communicate Trust, Brand Value and Better Business

Written by Mike Hower

Now available for pre-order

Sustainability storytelling has never offered greater opportunity—or carried higher risk—for global companies.

Investors, business-to-business customers, consumers, employees, regulators and other stakeholders are demanding proof, not promises. And data alone isn’t enough—they need stories that show why sustainability matters, how progress is being made, and whether claims can be trusted. As greenwashing risks rise and greenhushing becomes the default, the space for effective communication has narrowed. But for organizations that get it right, that space has never been more valuable.

Companies telling sustainability stories that are compelling, credible, compliant, and grounded in context—the Four C’s of Effective Sustainability Storytelling—build trust, strengthen brand reputation, attract and retain talent, and unlock the business value of their sustainability investments. Done well, sustainability storytelling doesn’t just reduce risk—it advances business strategy while accelerating the progress the world urgently needs.

Sustainability Storytelling is a practical guide for mid- to senior-level professionals—including corporate communicators, marketing leaders, and sustainability teams—operating in this high-stakes environment. Written by Mike Hower, with a foreword by Joel Makower of Trellis Group, the book offers a clear, actionable framework for building sustainability narratives that inform, inspire action, and withstand scrutiny. Real-world insights from leaders at Salesforce, PepsiCo, SAP, Veolia, and Apollo Global Management—along with perspective from Denis Hayes, the first Earth Day coordinator—bring the framework to life.

Whether you’re building a sustainability communication strategy from scratch or refining an existing one, Sustainability Storytelling turns principles into practice—helping you create messages that build trust, manage risk, and deliver value for both business and society.

Sustainability Storytelling: Communicate Trust, Brand Value and Better Business

Format: Hardcover, Paperback, eBook
Publisher: Kogan Page
Publication Date: May 3, 2026 (U.K. and Canada), May 26, 2026 (U.S. and globally)

Pre-order on Amazon
Pre-order on Kogan Page

Discounts available for bulk orders of 50 or more. To learn more, contact Mike Hower at mike@howerimpact.com.

With a Foreword by Joel Makower

“Effective sustainability communication is not about spin or about selling ideas. It’s about helping people see themselves in the story. It’s about making the abstract concrete, the distant immediate, and the complex relatable. It’s about showing not just what a company is doing, but why it matters to its various publics.”

—Joel Makower, Chairman and Co-founder, Trellis Group

You’ll learn how to:

  • Ground your communications strategy in the historical forces and business realities shaping sustainability today

  • Assess your organization’s storytelling maturity and align communication with core business objectives

  • Apply and balance the Four C’s—Context, Compelling, Credible, and Compliant—in real-world scenarios

  • Avoid both greenwashing and greenhushing through substance-backed messaging and strategic legal collaboration

  • Align sustainability, communications, and legal teams to amplify impact and reduce friction

Who this book is for

Communications, marketing and PR professionals

Turn sustainability into compelling narratives that build trust, engage stakeholders, and drive business value—while managing greenwashing risk.

Sustainability practitioners and consultants

Leverage communication to accelerate sustainability goals, align cross-functional teams, and drive action across stakeholders.

Academics and students

For professors: teachable frameworks grounded in practice. For students: career-ready skills for sustainability and communications roles.

About the author

Mike Hower

Founder & Principal Consultant, Hower Impact

Mike Hower has spent nearly 20 years at the intersection of corporate sustainability and storytelling

His journey began volunteering on the front lines of corporate social responsibility in South America, before witnessing the human face of climate change firsthand while speaking with Indigenous Guna people about rising sea levels in Panama's San Blas Archipelago. Those experiences convinced him that storytelling was the missing link in sustainability, setting him on a path through journalism at GreenBiz, TriplePundit, and Sustainable Brands, and into sustainability communication strategy and reporting roles at Edelman, climate tech companies, and boutique agencies.

That rare dual perspective—having been both the journalist scrutinizing corporate sustainability claims and the strategist helping companies make them—is the foundation of everything he does today.

As founder of Hower Impact, a sustainability communication and reporting consultancy, he helps Fortune 500 and mid-market companies translate their sustainability strategy into stories that build stakeholder trust and drive business value. He hosts The Sustainability Communicator podcast and writes The Sustainability Story on Substack.

Sustainability Storytelling is his first book.

Book Endorsements

  • "Sustainability communications isn't just storytelling—it's telling stories about something real. Real action. Real impact. Mike Hower's Four C's framework helps practitioners bridge that gap: making the message compelling, yes, but also credible, compliant, and grounded in context. If you want your sustainability story to actually land, this is an excellent place to start."

    —Andrew Winston, Sustainability strategist and best selling author of Green to Gold and Net Positive

  • "In an era of greenwashing scandals and greenhushing silence, what is a sustainability practitioner to do? Mike Hower answers that question with precision. At the core of Sustainability Storytelling is the Four C's framework that transforms critical information into stories with exceptional meaning, impact, and inspiration. This indispensable guide shows exactly how to make sustainability storytelling beat with a human pulse."

    —Carol Cone, Founder and CEO, Carol Cone ON PURPOSE

  • "Whether you're new to sustainability communications or have spent decades navigating shifting regulations and political headwinds, this book is an exceptional guide for anyone looking to use thoughtful persuasion, compliant framing, and compelling narrative in their work—which should be all of us."

    —Kati Kallins, Head of Sustainability, Adobe

  • "Meaningful progress starts with internal alignment, and storytelling is the catalyst that turns sustainability strategy into a shared mission. Mike Hower expertly bridges the gap between technical data and effective messaging, providing a roadmap to craft credible narratives that secure leadership buy-in and inspire action from the boardroom to every external stakeholder."

    —Erik Hansen, Chief Sustainability Officer, Workday

  • "A terrific resource for sustainability professionals working in communications, reporting, or strategy. This book helps practitioners craft more compelling and credible sustainability narratives through practical frameworks and tactics, while demonstrating why understanding the shifting regulatory and stakeholder landscape is critical to developing effective messaging."

    —Laura Franceschini, Lead for Sustainability Reporting, Google

  • "Storytelling is one of the most critical skills for a sustainability professional, yet it's the one people struggle with most. Sustainability Storytelling provides the concrete frameworks professionals need to confidently develop messaging that inspires, informs, and moves this work forward."

    —Trish Kenlon, Founder, Sustainable Career Pathways

  • "At a time when sustainability storytelling has never mattered more, or faced greater headwinds, Hower's book meets the moment. He makes a compelling case for sustainability communications as essential to business strategy, then lays out a clear roadmap for getting it right. An indispensable handbook for a discipline whose time has come."

    —Freya Williams, Chief Strategy Officer, Revolt and author of Green Giants

  • "Every sustainability challenge we face requires system change—and system change requires shifts in narratives and mindsets. These are the deepest levers for change, made possible by storytelling. This book is a timely and critical contribution to creating a better future for us all."

    —Sally Uren, Executive Director, Forum for the Future

  • "At a time when sustainability communication is under intense scrutiny, Sustainability Storytelling provides exactly what organizations need: clear frameworks, practical tools, and guardrails for communicating progress without overreach. It shows how credibility, context, compliance, and compelling storytelling can strengthen sustainability communication, not dilute it."

    —Tim Siegenbeek van Heukelom, Chief Impact Officer, Socialsuite

  • "Great communicators keep their organizations honest and understand how messaging will resonate with different audiences. Mike Hower's primer on sustainability communications is as much an ethics lesson as a tactical guide to storytelling for business."

    —Dave Armon, Executive Vice Chairman, 3BL Media

  • "Mike Hower is the voice of a new generation of sustainability leaders. Many sustainability professionals entered this field equipped with plenty of passion, some technical expertise, and far fewer communication skills. He has spent his career closing that gap—and with this book puts that gift to work for all of us by offering guidance that is practical, credible, and long overdue."

    —Kate Hanley, Director, Climate Strategy, Fortune 500 Global Food Services Company

Chapters

Part I: Foundations

  • Why traditional sustainability communication falls flat—and what effective storytelling actually looks like.

  • How we got here: the evolution of corporate sustainability and the communication challenges that came with it.

  • Connecting sustainability to business value—and communicating that connection to skeptical stakeholders.

Part II: The Four C’s Framework

  • Understanding the landscape before you speak: how external factors shape what you can (and can't) credibly say.

  • The elements that make sustainability narratives memorable, shareable, and actionable.

  • How to ensure your claims hold up to scrutiny—and signal authenticity to skeptical audiences.

  • Navigating the regulatory landscape: what you can say, what you can't, and how to stay on the right side of the law.

Part III: Strategy & Execution

  • From stakeholder mapping to message architecture: creating a strategic foundation for all your sustainability communication.

  • Practical techniques for turning complex sustainability initiatives into clear, compelling narratives.

  • How to get your sustainability message out—channels, timing, formats, and tactics for reaching diverse stakeholders.

Part IV: Alignment

  • Getting buy-in from communications, marketing, legal, and leadership—so sustainability stories are told consistently and confidently.

  • Aligning public policy engagement with sustainability communication for coherent external positioning.

Join us for Sustainability Storytelling LIVE

Sustainability Storytelling LIVE is a four-city event series launching alongside the book in May 2026. Join Mike and fellow sustainability and communications professionals in New York, Washington D.C., San Francisco, and virtually for conversations on what it takes to tell sustainability stories that inform, inspire, and withstand scrutiny.

See dates and register

Frequently Asked Questions

  • May 3, 2026 in the United Kingdom and Canada.

    May 26, 2026 in the United States and the rest of the world.

    Pre-order now to receive it on release day in your region.

  • Hardcover, paperback, and eBook (Kindle and other formats).

  • No—the frameworks and strategies apply to organizations of all sizes, from startups to Fortune 500 companies.

  • Yes. Contact us for corporate bulk pricing and team training packages.

  • The book will be available globally through major retailers. Published by Kogan Page.

Pre-order on Amazon
Pre-order on Kogan Page