(MENAFN- PRovoke) The term greenwashing, meaning a false display of environmental responsibility, was first used by American environmentalist Jay Westerveld in 1986. Since then, the phenomenon has taken on dozens of forms - bluewashing, pinkwashing, rainbow washing, science washing, purpose washing, purplewashing. Yet the essence remains the same: declarations without real action.

Companies can deliberately manipulate socially significant or environmental topics. This happened during the well-known Dieselgate scandal involving Volkswagen, often called“one of the most audacious corporate frauds in history.” The manufacturer installed software in diesel cars that artificially lowered emission readings. On paper, the project seemed successful - Volkswagen sold 10.5 million“green” cars worldwide. But it ended in both reputational and financial disaster.

The failure of impact projects isn't always tied to deception. Often, they fail to bring value to society or business due to a lack of expertise, unassessed risks, or efforts that are too scattered or insufficient. Drawing on my experience at the pet food company Kormotech, I'd like to share some thoughts on what defines a genuine impact project - one that drives social and behavioral change while also supporting business growth.

Impact Project Integrated into the Business Strategy

An impact project's value is measured not only by the positive changes it brings to society but also by the opportunities it creates for the company itself. These can include attracting and retaining talent, strengthening reputation, increasing customer loyalty, or driving market growth by influencing consumer behavior.

When you align your impact project with your business strategy, you can better justify the necessary investments and scale its impact. However, it's important not to tackle too broad a topic - focus instead on a specific issue where your efforts can deliver the greatest results.

A study by McKinsey & NielsenIQ found that consumers are more likely to support brands that make concrete ESG commitments rather than simply talking about sustainability. Between 2017 and 2022, products with less common claims such as“vegan” or“carbon zero” saw sales increase by 8.5% more than those with generic labels like“environmentally sustainable,” which grew by only 2%.

Long-Term Evaluation Horizon

Impact projects are always a long-term journey because they influence social norms, culture, and how people make decisions. Such changes take time - sometimes 5, 10, or even 20 years. To track shifts in behavioral patterns or levels of trust, large-scale sociological studies are required. That's why it's important to allocate at least 10% of an impact project's budget to measurement.

Intermediate results for business can be demonstrated through outputs, even when their influence isn't immediately visible. To show it, look for correlations between your project activities and business outcomes. There are no universal metrics - you'll need to test connections, develop hypotheses, and validate them.

Let me give an example from the pet food industry. When we host a charity event and hand out food samples, that alone isn't an impact project. But if even one visitor decides to stop feeding their dog bones and switches to a balanced diet afterward - that's a real result. That's why we track how many sample packs we distribute. Because 200 distributed samples mean 200 chances to change the culture of how people care for their pets.

Partners from Nonprofit Organizations Are Involved in the Project

Even a single mistake can cost a company its reputation, audience trust, and profits. Unethical depictions of beneficiaries, careless wording, or excessive brand heroization can undermine all efforts. In the worst case, the project may even harm the very people it was created to help.

Partners from nonprofit organizations can identify weak spots before they turn into real problems. They understand the context and can help define goals and choose an approach that will bring long-term benefits to beneficiaries.

It's important not only to plan actions together with partners but also to involve them in risk forecasting. Organize dedicated sessions to simulate potential questions, concerns, or accusations that may arise from the public, media, or beneficiaries. Because if something can go wrong, it probably will. It's better to plan crisis responses in advance than to hope risks will pass you by.

Investing in Education

When implementing impact projects, the Pareto principle applies: find the right point to apply 20% of your effort and achieve 80% of the results. When it comes to social change, education is exactly that point. It's one of the most effective areas for impact investment because educational initiatives reinforce and transmit the values that later shape behavior.

However, education only makes sense when it is systematic. A single lecture or a short-term campaign won't be enough to change people's mindset.

More than five years ago, Kormotech launched an educational project in Lviv - the city where the company's headquarters is located - to teach schoolchildren humane attitudes toward animals. At first, team members conducted the lessons themselves, but it quickly became clear this format couldn't be scaled.

We changed our approach and began training teachers instead. We developed educational materials and shared them with local education departments responsible for teacher development - and soon the program was running in all schools across the city.

What's the business value here? The company laid the foundation for shaping a future generation of responsible pet parents - people who understand that animals require care and attention. By nurturing empathetic and informed consumers, the company is essentially investing in the growth of the very market it operates in.

This cascading approach allows knowledge to spread without constant involvement and creates a lasting effect that continues to benefit the business even after the project ends.

Alina Smyshliak-Boroda is the Director of Reputation Management and CSR at Kormotech, an international company with Ukrainian roots that leads the domestic market and is among the world's top 55 pet food manufacturers. With more than 10 years of experience in PR, she has developed and implemented integrated corporate communications across the FMCG, NGO, exhibition, telecommunications, and extractive industries. Alina also oversees the U-Hearts Foundation, established by Kormotech to support animals affected by the war in Ukraine. The foundation has raised more than $5 million in international aid and helped more than 300,000 cats and dogs.

Note: This article reflects the views of the author and is published as part of PRovoke Media's opinion section. It does not necessarily represent the views of PRovoke Media or its editorial team. We welcome a range of perspectives and invite readers to submit thoughtful responses or counterpoints for consideration to [email protected].

MENAFN19112025000219011063ID1110369643