The ESG Communicator
Introduction
Sustainability has become one of the strongest forces shaping today’s business landscape. ESG is no longer just reporting – it is reputation, strategy, stakeholder trust and competitive advantage.
Companies are expected to communicate clearly, credibly and consistently about their sustainability ambitions, actions and impact. That requires professionals who can translate complex ESG agendas into communication that engages, informs and strengthens the corporate narrative.
The ESG Communicator equips ESG managers and communication professionals with exactly those capabilities. You learn to craft communication that is both compliant and compelling, grounded in data yet accessible to diverse audiences. The course strengthens your ability to build coherent sustainability narratives, support leadership, engage stakeholders and turn ESG into a strategic communication asset.
You gain practical tools, current insights and a solid understanding of how to communicate sustainability in a way that creates clarity, confidence and value for your organisation.
The primary instructor is advisor and external lecturer Lars Sandstrøm.
Learnings and tools
Methods and tools for developing strategic ESG communication
Insight into emerging trends, frameworks and practices in sustainability communication
Creative approaches to shaping ESG processes, narratives and campaigns
Tools for building strategies for communicating sustainability and planning ESG communication
Tools for prioritising and strengthening sustainability communication on internal and external media
Inspiration and best‑practice examples from Danish and international ESG cases
Diploma as proof of completed examination
Course leader and teacher
Lars Sandstrøm is the founder and advisor at Corporate Relations and an external lecturer at Roskilde University. He holds a master’s degree in Public Relations from RUC (1992). Corporate Relations provides strategic advisory services, analysis and development with a focus on stakeholder communication, ESG communication and corporate branding. For nearly 30 years, Lars has advised many of Denmark’s largest companies.
He is the author of five books on sustainability branding, digital communication, stakeholder relations and corporate branding, as well as numerous articles on strategic communication, sustainability and branding. Lars is frequently invited as a speaker at companies and conferences, and has served for several years on the boards of the Danish Communication Association and the Danish Investor Relations Association.
Course modules
Module 1
Characterising the Sustainable and Responsible Company
This module introduces the foundations of corporate sustainability and responsibility. You explore how companies can adopt holistic, stakeholder‑driven approaches and how sustainability shapes reputation, trust and legitimacy. The module establishes the conceptual base for strategic ESG communication.
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How can companies apply balanced and holistic models for stakeholder‑based sustainability?
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What role does sustainability and responsibility play in corporate communication and branding?
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How does Corporate Responsibility Branding (CRB) help companies build trust and legitimacy?
Module 2
Building a Strategy for Communicating Sustainability
This module focuses on developing a clear, coherent and actionable ESG communication strategy. You learn how to define ambitions, craft narratives, balance communication levels and establish governance structures that support long‑term credibility. Measurement and prioritisation are central elements.
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How do companies build a strategy with clear ambitions, consistent narratives and defined ownership?
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How do you balance strategic, tactical and operational sustainability communication?
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How do you measure and evaluate results – and conduct a Double Materiality Assessment?
Module 3
Internal and External Sustainability Communication and Reporting
This module examines how sustainability communication has evolved and how organisations can engage stakeholders through dialogue, reporting and meaningful narratives. You work with frameworks such as the SDGs and explore how sustainability integrates into the corporate equity story.
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How do companies use stakeholder dialogue to drive engagement and action?
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How can the UN SDGs be applied as a dialogue and communication tool?
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What is sustainable marketing and how can sustainability be integrated in the corporate equity story?
Module 4
Media, Ethics and Greenwashing
This module explores the ethical dimension of sustainability communication and the risks of greenwashing and greenhushing. You analyse how media and technology shape public perception and learn how to communicate ethics in a transparent and credible way.
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What role does ethics play in sustainability and sustainability communication?
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How do you communicate ethics – and apply discourse ethics in practice?
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What is greenwashing and greenhushing, and why do they occur?
Module 5
Stakeholder Engagement, Stakeholder Capitalism and Brand Activism
This module provides tools for mapping stakeholders, strengthening engagement and understanding the dynamics of stakeholder capitalism and brand activism. You explore best‑practice cases and learn how purpose branding and thought leadership support long‑term sustainability narratives.
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How do you map and analyse critical stakeholders?
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How do you use “the context compass” and “levels of engagement” to strengthen the narrative?
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What is the essence of stakeholder capitalism and brand activism – and how is it applied?
Module 6
Challenges and Possibilities for Communicating Sustainability
This module looks ahead at current trends, dilemmas and opportunities in sustainability communication. You examine how companies link communication to action, how narratives compete in the public arena, and why organisations increasingly need dedicated CRB competencies.
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What are the current trends in sustainability communication and reporting?
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How do companies connect sustainability communication to action and behaviour?
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Who is shaping the dominant narrative – and which agendas are represented?
Course format
The course runs over a period of two months and is structured around six modules delivered as six half‑day sessions from 13:00 to 16:30. Teaching combines multiple learning formats: short introductions to theory and tools, inspiring cases, examples and discussions, as well as challenges, exercises and assignments completed in different formats.
The course includes a reading list tailored to each module. In addition, Lars Sandstrøm’s book Sustainability and Branding – a Concept for Corporate Responsibility Branding will be sent to participants prior to the course and serves as the primary textbook.
The programme concludes with a short examination assignment in which participants analyse a concrete case and submit a reflection report. Participants receive an examination diploma upon passing, which requires at least 80% attendance, active participation – showing interest, insight and effort – and approval of the final reflection report.
