1.6 Assignment — Build a Sustainability Communication Checklist

Choose the track for your profile, then complete the version that matches it.

In this assignment, learners turn the foundational principles of sustainable communication into an operational review tool. By building and applying a Sustainability Communication Checklist, learners establish a pre-publication audit mechanism that organizations can use to verify that environmental and social claims are specific, evidence-backed, transparently phrased, and legally defensible.

The evaluation framework

All learners must structure their checklists and campaign evaluations using the 5-Pillar Communication Audit Framework:

Messaging: What exact claim is being made, and how clearly is it stated? Is the scope limited to a specific component/product, or does it overreach across the whole brand?

• Evidence: What specific data, third-party certification (e.g., GOTS, GRS, FSC), or auditable proof is offered to support the claim?

• Tone: Is the language promotional and aspirational, or transparent, objective, and matter-of-fact?

• Credibility: Could the claim be substantiated clearly if questioned by a regulator, auditor, customer or other stakeholder?

• Visual strategy: What environmental or social impressions might the imagery, colour, typography and symbols create? (e.g., Does natural imagery imply an unverified environmental benefit?)

Differentiated Learner Pathways

VET (EQF 4)

• Task: You are provided with a standard 5-pillar template checklist. Select 2–3 real-world fashion marketing claims or product hangtags from current campaigns. Apply the checklist to each claim, marking whether each criterion is Met or Not Met.
• Output: Submit the completed checklist tables for each claim, accompanied by a brief (2–3 sentence) summary per claim justifying your rating based on the presence or absence of clear evidence.

HEI (EQF 5)

• Task: Review 2–3 existing public communication codes (e.g., the UNEP Playbook, UK CMA Green Claims Code, or ICC Framework). Compare them and synthesize them into an original, 10-to-15-item evaluation checklist tailored to a specific product or brand context (e.g., luxury leather, outdoor outerwear, or denim). Select 3 real sustainability campaigns and test your checklist against them.
• Output: Present your synthesized checklist. Then, submit an audit of the 3 chosen campaigns using the 5-pillar framework (Messaging, Evidence, Tone, Credibility, Visual Strategy) and test one original claim that you invent yourself.

Professionals — SME (EQF 6)

• Task: Design an enterprise-grade Sustainability Communication Governance Checklist from scratch, operating without a pre-made template. Your framework must explicitly incorporate current European policies (such as the Empowering Consumers Directive applying in 2026) alongside pending legislation (such as the Green Claims Directive). Critically evaluate at least one existing industry framework, highlight its gaps, and justify your checklist’s design choices against it.
• Output: A corporate governance document detailing your checklist framework, a policy-alignment defense, and a proposed internal sign-off workflow connecting sustainability, legal, and marketing teams to prevent greenwashing before publication.