A quick Google search assures me that it was Michelangelo who once said: “the greater danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too high and falling short; but in setting our aim too low and achieving our mark.” I was reminded of these words when a friend had told me of her intention to run her first marathon and finish ‘inside 6 hours’. Thanks to my own running experiences and my understanding of her fitness I politely pointed out that she could do it inside 4 hours and such lack of ambition prevented me from donating to her chosen charity (she later changed her target and I was actually forced to donate).
6 hours? Can’t you do it in 4?
Now for the second time in a week, I’m reminded of the Michelangelo quote as I read that Amazon has reached its goal to match 100% of the electricity consumed by its global operations with renewable energy by 2030 – seven years ahead of schedule. Sounds impressive, doesn’t it? It’s certainly being positioned as a success story to shout about judging by the press & PR coverage it’s receiving. But before we get carried away, it’s worth remembering there are 3 possible interpretations of this achievement:
1. Amazon have over-invested and absolutely smashed it - well done!
2. Amazon deliberately set a low target in order to ensure a positive outcome & story – a bit cynical!
3. Like my running friend, Amazon set the target in good faith using dodgy data and hadn’t realised they could have been much more ambitious – a bit sloppy!
Of course, I have no idea which of these explanations is most accurate, and, if I don’t know, then rest assured the general public won’t know either. What’s more, I suspect most people won’t even care, thanks to Amazon’s bewildering climate pledge that they aired to the world in an extended TV spot back in 2021. This was a bombardment of words and numbers that captured their sustainability promises, targets and budget. The content was impossible to remember, comprehend or engage with, and felt like a missed opportunity to drive some brand / company affinity with their customers.
You see, it was clear back in 2021 and even more so now, that when it comes to sustainability, actions speak louder than words. People want to see your brand or business out there doing stuff – not making promises, writing cheques and then slapping your own back. Targets consisting of abstract numbers lacking the necessary context are totally meaningless. Consumers love and recall stories, but there is no narrative in the Amazon example other than: big company sets itself meaningless target, spends some money to save some money and then claims to have over-delivered. Perhaps they could have got some ‘boots on the ground’ in the Amazon rainforest and started to make a genuine difference there through their actions rather than dealing in empty words and numbers (even if they are true – which for legal reasons, we should assume they are!).
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