1. Role in Circular Economy Transition
Shapes the internal and external narrative around circular economy initiatives: Participants repeatedly emphasized Marketing’s role in storytelling, brand alignment, and making CE relatable to both employees and external audiences.
Supports behavior change by reinforcing CE principles through brand messaging: The group discussed how Marketing can be a powerful cultural lever, helping normalize circular practices through campaigns and narratives.
Positions the organization as a leader in sustainability, influencing customer perception and talent attraction: The annotation “protect the brand” reflects concern for reputation and market differentiation as CE becomes part of the company’s value proposition.
2. How FM Can Inspire Collaboration
Supply case studies, data and visuals to drive CE storytelling: Participants asked for “bite-sized messages” and “impactful communications” indicating Marketing’s reliance on FM for credible content.
Collaborate on brand-aligned messaging that highlights CE wins: “Stay on brand” was mentioned explicitly, showing that messaging must align with existing tone and strategy to avoid confusion or misrepresentation.
Ensure CE storytelling supports investor and stakeholder engagement: Marketing was seen as a key partner in aligning CE with messaging to investors/shareholders, reinforcing its strategic communication role.
3. Tools, Training and Capabilities Needed
Training in CE storytelling, business case framing and audience targeting: The importance of providing staff with the capabilities and training to tell stories aligned to their brand is crucial, so Marketing and other departments can consistently and credibly explain CE.
Templates for campaigns, visuals and CE-aligned messages: The need for simple, repeatable messages and CE content libraries creates a demand for pre-approved materials FM can contribute to.
Platforms and workflows that support agile, iterative storytelling: The suggestion to use “sprints” and “pods” indicates a desire for closer, more integrated working methods between FM and Marketing.
4. KPIs and Metrics
Standard communications metrics: impressions, engagement, downloads, NPS: These were mentioned in notes around tracking the success of campaigns and stories and could be shared with the relevant department.
Internal sentiment and alignment indicators (e.g., employee engagement): Storytelling isn’t just for the outside world. Participants acknowledged the importance of internal buy-in and narrative consistency.
Public goodwill and external perception metrics: CE storytelling was tied directly to brand positioning and reputation, suggesting indirect marketing KPIs such as sustainability rankings or awards.
5. Challenges and Barriers
Risk of overpromising or misalignment and the need to avoid credibility gaps: Though the word “greenwashing” wasn’t used, comments like “accuracy” and “stay on brand” show concern about overstatement.
Difficulty aligning CE messages with fast-changing operational realities: CE is complex and evolving, which poses challenges for traditional messaging cycles and creative approval processes.
International Facility Management Association (IFMA) supports over 25,000 members in 140 countries. Since 1980, IFMA has worked to advance the FM profession through education, events, credentialing, research, networking and knowledge-sharing.
