How Yello Successfully Integrates Regional Climate Protection into Its Communications – A Best Practice Case Study with Pina Earth

More and more companies want to take responsibility and demonstrate their contribution to climate protection. At the same time, this very communication is coming under increasing scrutiny: terms like “climate neutrality” and “offsetting” are being criticized, and accusations of greenwashing are quickly leveled.

For many companies, this raises the question:

• How can we communicate climate protection in an authentic, understandable, and credible way without raising false expectations or making overly ambitious promises?

The energy provider Yello demonstrates how this can be achieved. In collaboration with Pina Earth, Yello integrates regional climate protection into its communications. This is a best practice example of how climate protection and branding can work together in a credible way.

Climate action as part of sustainability efforts

For over a year now, Yello has been working with Pina Earth to actively contribute to climate protection through forest restoration in Germany. Every new electricity and gas contract signed with Yello automatically includes a climate contribution of 2.50 EUR. This contribution goes toward Pina Earth’s forest restoration and reforestation projects. Since the partnership began, four million square meters of forest have already been made “climate-fit.” The partnership is intentionally designed for the long term: Yello is involved in multiple projects spanning decades across Germany, thereby helping to make forest areas more resilient and enabling new measures to be implemented early on.

In the energy sector in particular, taking such a clear stance is crucial. Energy companies are at the center of public debate because energy production and consumption are directly linked to emissions, and communication about climate issues is quickly met with skepticism. Yello addresses this challenge through a deliberate choice of language: rather than using terms like “offsetting” or “climate neutrality, ” the company focuses on its actual contribution. This climate contribution is both a strategic component of the company’s sustainability efforts and an integral part of its brand and media communications, such as on its website, LinkedIn, and social media.

“As an energy provider, we have a special responsibility. It was important to us not only to take action on climate protection, but also to communicate honestly and transparently about what we’re actually doing,” says Patrick Bottermann, Head of CSR/Sustainability at Yello. 

A variety of communication formats

Yello integrates its climate initiatives across various communication channels and consistently incorporates the topic into its communications, aligning it with its brand identity and current events:

• On the website, a landing page serves as the central hub for the climate contribution. It explains the partnership with Pina Earth, provides context for the contribution, and clearly outlines how and where the supported forest projects make a difference.
• A press release announcing the launch of the partnership explains the background and provides more context about the partnership.
• LinkedIn posts regularly highlight the company’s contribution to climate action, for example in the context of current project visits, on Forest Day, or in connection with broader sustainability topics. It’s important to post both through the company profile and through employees’ personal profiles to increase reach. Partner posts with Pina Earth further boost impressions and engagement metrics.
• Yello is also sharing insights into the partnership and interviews with Pina Earth on social media. The focus is on clear explanations, personal impressions from the forest, and concrete figures to make climate protection tangible.
• In addition, Yello also shares updates with employees via its internal intranet .

In this way, the climate initiative is presented not as a one-time effort, but as an ongoing commitment. Various formats also offer new perspectives on the topic: facts and figures, project insights, in-depth looks at Pina Earth’s technology, interviews, and updates on the progress of the joint partnership add variety to the communication.

• Instagram Reel about the project visit
• Instagram post about the partnership
• Instagram Reel featuring glimpses of the forest
• Instagram Reel on Local Climate Action
• LinkedIn post by Yello regarding the issuance audit
• LinkedIn post featuring Patrick from Yello

Project Visit to Rosenau: In September, Yello visited the “Rosenau” project and shared authentic insights from the forest with creators and partners. Short videos and posts convey these impressions to employees, customers, and interested parties via social media.

Best Practices for Credible Climate Communication

Several best practices can be derived from Yello’s approach, demonstrating how climate initiatives can become part of a long-term communication strategy:

1. Regular, authentic communication: Climate protection topics are incorporated throughout the year via regular updates, project-related posts, or integration into company-related events such as new rates, partnerships, or milestones.
2. Brand consistency: The brand and corporate identity should also be maintained in sustainability communications. Sustainability should not be communicated in a preachy or stiff manner, but rather in a positive and solution-oriented way.
3. Make the most of special days: Events like Earth Day or Forest Day offer natural opportunities to engage.
4. Use a variety of formats: From blog posts to creator videos, different formats offer diverse content and reach different target audiences.
5. Use all corporate channels: Whether targeting employees or customers, the more holistically sustainability is integrated into your overall communication strategy, the more credible it will be. All channels—including your website, LinkedIn, social media, the intranet, or even traditional methods—should be utilized if they have been part of your communication strategy to date.

Do you want to communicate your climate efforts as transparently as Yello does?

We help you integrate your climate action efforts into your corporate strategy—from project selection to effective external communication. In addition to our personalized consulting services, we’ve compiled all best practices into a comprehensive communication package.

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