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Australians call for brands to show leadership on climate change, says Nine

New research from Nine and market research company Crowd.DNA shows that a diminishing confidence in government policy to act on climate change is seeing Australians wanting big businesses and brands to provide bold plans for a sustainable future.

The research, released today at Nine’s State of the Nation Sustainability virtual event, showed that despite everyday Australians making changes to live more sustainably, the majority feel that as a country, we are not doing enough, and brands need to lead the way.

Such is the desire for wanting to collectively start progress that an overwhelming 74% of Australians say the benefits of taking further action on climate change will outweigh the costs. But the findings also uncovered that 38% of Australians can’t name a brand or company that is actively pursuing sustainable practice.

“This research clearly shows Australians are desperate for leadership in sustainability and climate change,” said Toby Boon, Nine’s director of strategy and insights. “People feel there is a leadership void in this space, and there is an opportunity for brands to embrace this sentiment, providing they adhere to some golden rules – they need to express honesty, transparency, accountability & integrity.

“Australians want brands to collaborate, not compete. This is much bigger than words and slogans. Consumers want long term solutions to enact positive change to make the world a better place for them and their family. And whilst they don’t expect wholesale change overnight, they do want businesses to communicate where they are on the journey. They want progress, not perfection.”

Australians are united in wanting action on climate change and sustainability, with almost all saying they would think more positively of a company if they have a clear sustainability plan or business model, including 91% of Boomers, 90% of Gen X and Gen Z, and 93% of millennials.

Nine’s director of sales – Total Publishing, Jo Clasby, added that Nine was uniquely positioned to help marketers capture the zeitgeist. As part of the State of the Nation event she announced Nine was making a number of key initiatives in publishing and through its assets to help brands educate, inspire and lead Australians on a clear path to enact change.

These initiatives include a new editorial reporting franchise in The Australian Financial Review called Carbon Challenge that will put in focus sustainability; a dedicated feature with the Money section of The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age called Clean Capital that will explore all things ESG (environmental, social governance); a podcast series Leaders for the Future from The Sydney Morning Herald/The Age, and a Please Explain sustainability series across the metro mastheads (SMH, The Age, WA Today, Brisbane Times).

The power of Nine’s cross-platform assets will be harnessed to push sustainability topics every month, with publishing content such as Explainers travelling to radio; broadcast integration and video series through Nine’s youth assets, like Pedestrian.

“At Nine we are committed to helping brands in this important space,” said Clasby. “We know we are an important partner as brands tap into a call to arms from everyday Australians wanting leadership on one of the greatest challenges of our time.”

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