In the last two years, I have observed a rapid increase in topics related to the transformation of the green economy. Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) has also arrived on the global stage, and all these global guidelines, laws, and procedures naturally aim to preserve planet Earth.

Although the settings are somewhat challenging due to the interests of certain industries in the green economy, the global mantra that everyone follows is there. Did you know that more greenhouse gases are emitted from global cattle production than all the trucks and their emissions? Unfortunately, we will not change anything like that here, but what we can change is where and how we position the PR industry.

In the desire and hope to contribute to this issue and for the public relations industry to find its global position, which should follow not only the direction of interest but also the logical one, I, as the Secretary General of the World Innovation and Change Management Institute (WICMI), and as a person who has been engaged in public relations for 35 years, launched the Roman Declaration of Green Communication Responsibility initiative.

All world-renowned associations, including the International Public Relations Association (IPRA), which is globally a step ahead of others, have given their view on climate change. IPRA has done it through its Climate Chapter. The Roman Declaration of Green Communication Responsibility aims globally to provide concrete guidelines in 10 points that should provide not only guidelines but also set new opportunities for PR industry stakeholders to follow the guidelines of sustainable development of the United Nations and the Paris Agreement.

Members of the declaration committee

The declaration committee is chaired by Richard Linning, former President of IPRA and president of WICMI, and thanks to the vision of Secretary General Philip Sheppard and current IPRA President Nataša Pavlović Bujas, IPRA also joined the WICMI initiative. Among the members of this committee who will create the declaration are Daniel Silberhorn, Senior Advisor ESG & Sustainability Transformation, SLR Consulting and Chair of the IPRA Climate Change Chapter, Germany, who recently published an article about greenwashing, which will surely be one of the guidelines that will shape the declaration.

Jacqueline Purcell, IPRA UK and Ireland Chapter Chair, United Kingdom, but also Ajit Pathak, National President of the Public Relations Society of India, India, Sergio Vazzoler, Coordinator of the "Responsible Communication" Commission at Federazione Relazioni Pubbliche Italiana (FERPI), Italy, Aslihan Güven, Director of Marketing and Communications at Istanbul Sabiha Gokcen International Airport, Turkey, Mary Beth West, Public Relations Strategist, United States of America, Massimo Castellano, Institutional Relations Officer at Blue Planet Economy, Italy, Andras Sztaniszlav, Chief Executive Officer at International Communications Consultancy Organization (ICCO), Hungary, Dana Oancea, President at Forum for International Communications, Romania and Gabor Jelinek, Executive Director of Public Relations Global Network (PRGN), Hungary are members of the declaration committee.

The public relations industry when looking at the green transition does not have its own global and clear point of view. I am proud that all stakeholders are on the board and some others are expected to join because no matter what association or agency PR individuals belong to, there are common points of unification of the industry. One of those points is the question of the responsibility of the public relations industry in green transformation and climate change.

A devastating finding

When I analysed in preparation for this article I came to a devastating result. Public administration, companies, large, medium, and small corporations do not have a Green Communication Strategy document, and it is expected that this very idea, which I present exclusively in this article, will be one of the guidelines. Our industry is one of the leaders in the preservation of planet Earth, but too little is written about it, and we give ourselves too little importance. You must be wondering how we do it. We prepare ideas and projects, creatively implement and communicate green projects, and provide support in the presentation and design of green projects, and we have always been and will be there as a service.

However, I believe that our voice should also be heard, a voice that will send the message that the public relations industry globally understands climate change. It would be interesting to see through another survey, perhaps conducted by IPRA or another global association, how many projects the public relations industry—through agencies, public relations consultants and then corporate departments and public administration departments—have that are directly related to climate change and how much they invested in them.

ESG will open new financial chapters, will open up new financial opportunities and will create new departments, plus new jobs in agencies and for consultants who specialize in this area. This is precisely the way in which the public relations industry must operate. If climate change is one of the key areas, we are aware that we as an industry already have an important role, the only question is how to present it, communicate it and how to create new products and services.

New specialist agencies will emerge

Expect big agencies soon to open new agencies that will be specialized only in green communication as it represents a role for smaller agencies as well as consultants. That's why everything starts with guidelines, followed by education with the exchange of knowledge, which is why we are all globally connected.

What is not talked about a lot is the creation of profits. Business doesn't ask. Today, as in the past and in the future, there will be agencies, there will be individuals who will represent in the system the interests of those companies and brands that do not care about the planet and are there solely for profit. This is where ethics should come to the stage, which has been a hot topic in our industry in recent years, because everyone has been writing and talking about ethical codes. Whether and how we adhere to them is for another article.

I would conclude that together we can do more. The industry needs to give its opinion. And we need to communicate more, so that we, as a public relations industry, can better position ourselves and give a synergistic effect to climate change and the United Nations' sustainable development goals. Although we do this every day, unfortunately it is not visible. The Roman Declaration of Green Communication Responsibility should contribute to improving this, if individuals and their egos can put planet Earth before themselves.