Here are our top 5 sustainability predictions that bear great potential to propel the legacy of sustainability throughout 2024. 

Renewable, all the way! 

The forefront of global energy is undergoing a seismic shift as nations confront the climate crisis head-on. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), the world is on the brink of a renewable energy boom, with projections indicating that global renewable energy capacity will surpass 4,500 gigawatts in 2024, matching that of fossil fuels. Wind and solar power are poised to double their capacity globally, outshining the traditional gas and coal. Notably, the US is spearheading this transition, with a projected 26% share of renewable energy in total electricity generation by 2024. Europe, driven by geopolitical events, is accelerating its renewable energy deployment, which has already led to a 40% increase in renewable capacity additions.  

Even with the expected challenges taken into consideration, the IEA predicts a cost reduction in electricity generation from the new wind and solar plants by 2024, solidifying the existence of renewable energy practices across the globe. 

Green employability grows by 50% 

The surge in sustainability awareness is catalysing a profound transformation in the job market. In 2024, a 50% increase in sustainability jobs is anticipated, reflecting the growing demand for skilled professionals in the field. Traditional roles are being redefined with hues of green, and emerging industries like carbon management, sustainable procurement, and hydrogen power are generating novel professions. From sustainability managers to carbon accountants, the workforce is evolving to meet the challenges of achieving net-zero emissions. The stage is set for 2024 with ‘sustainability’ being the next buzzword on job searching websites. 

Transparency tipping point 

2024 will witness a significant acceleration in companies’ preparations for the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD). The urgency to address environmental challenges and to demonstrate commitment towards sustainability will drive businesses to prioritise robust carbon management practices. Stakeholder pressure, regulatory mandates, and financial incentives will converge, compelling companies to invest in advanced carbon management software. By embracing these technologies, businesses will be able to meet compliance requirements, gain a competitive advantage, and pledge their allegiance to greener practices.  

2024 will mark a turning point for businesses as it will add yet another strategic imperative to their existing list, to hail themselves as responsible corporate citizens of the world. 

Building more of tomorrow’s sustainable homes 

A remarkable rise in self-sufficient housing is anticipated in 2024, driven not only by large corporations but also by consumer demand. Homeowners will invest in renewable energy technologies, such as solar panels, gas, and heat pumps, to achieve electricity and heating self-sufficiency. Bioclimatic architecture will gain momentum, integrating natural elements to optimise energy efficiency and minimise environmental impact. The transformative shift towards environmentally conscious and resilient built environments in 2024 will set the stage for a future where self-sufficiency and sustainable living become the natural norm. 

As consumers increasingly become more aware of the carbon footprint they leave behind, it will be time that they realise the ease of energy independence, and opt for homes that are sustainable today, and tomorrow. 

Sustainability on wheels 

Governments worldwide are expected to accelerate efforts to subsidise and incentivise public transport in 2024 as part of broader sustainability and climate change mitigation strategies. Increased subsidies, innovative incentive programs, and investments in suitable infrastructure will make public transport more accessible, affordable, and most importantly more attractive for all.  

This move will have some obvious benefits like the reduction of carbon emissions, alleviation of traffic congestion, and collectively more breathing space to create liveable cities. According to a report by Bloomberg, London is one of the busiest cities in the world traffic report, with drivers spending up to 156 hours (about 6 and a half days) stuck in traffic in 2022, which has gone up 5% since COVID.  

In 2024, the government’s efforts to make public transportation more accessible will become a cornerstone of urban planning, contributing to a greener and more sustainable world. 

As we begin 2024, these 5 sustainability predictions represent a collective call to action. From organisations in the energy sector to the ones in housing, the emphasis on transparency and accountability sits high. If you’d like to find out more about how you could project your company’s sustainability practices for a competitive advantage, get in touch with a CSR/marketing professional from our team today. 

The post The Year of Sustainability: Our top 5 predictions for 2024  appeared first on Brighter Directions.

This means that if you’re a marketer and not already using AI, you’re missing out on one of the most powerful marketing toolkits of all time. Being in the business that we are in, we couldn’t wait to jump on the AI bandwagon and test some tools out within ourselves first, to cherry pick and bring a list of our personal recommends to you. Let’s review! 

ChatGPT  

If we had to pick one AI tool everybody (at least all marketers and content writers!) know about – ChatGPT would take the prize. It’s also a tool that has irked marketers for its lack of accuracy as not until very recently, ChatGPT was only trained to read and process information on the internet up to September 2021.  

But now things have changed. ChatGPT’s CEO Sam Altman announced that starting this year the content optimising tool has unrestricted access to the entire internet up to April 2023. This means that users can now rely on this AI tool that bit more than they have; but we’d still recommend taking the information with a grain of salt. 

Based on our tests, we’d say that the tool is great to generate early drafts for later polishing by human writers. It’s efficient, scalable, and comes with zero costs – there’s no reason not to try! 

Hemingway Editor 

Named after the writer who believed in brevity, the Hemingway app is like a know-it-all assistant you can have by your side when writing creative copies. It’s famous for its editing skills for maximum readability and clarity. It awards a readability score, based upon US educational grades, with grade 9 or lower considered ideal. 

Super easy to use, free, and makes writing a less daunting process. Again, to be taken with a grain of salt as a fully optimised Hemingway piece might turn out to be too simplistic, with the risk of the message being lost in the crowd. 

Canva  

A must-have AI tool in your designer’s toolkit, Canva is exceptionally versatile and offers thousands of pre-designed layouts, grids, elements, and more that can save you time, and deliver a professional-looking design, all at the same time. 

Its premium account gives you access to additional features like brand tool kits, content management across socials, and marketing metrics that have dominated the industry, making it an indispensable tool for digital marketers.  

PhotoRoom 

Another free AI tool that is a must-have in a marketer’s tool kit is PhotoRoom. It uses AI and machine-learning to identify the subject of an image and separate it from the background, letting you seamlessly remove it. You no longer have to spend time outlining areas you would like to be removed, because PhotoRoom does that intuitively, and in seconds.  

The tool also lets you drop in colored background images of your choice, so it’s of great use for those product images you struggle to find the perfect background for, or even your mascots that need to be snapped around in multiple locations. 

Albert.ai  

Designed for marketers of all sizes, Albert.ai is a great tool to have by your side when strategising ad campaigns. The tool is great for personalising and optimising your ad content based on your customer’s needs. It uses real-time data to do what they do best, empowering your marketing efforts with ‘data-powered creativity’. 

Harley Davidson is one such use-case example that has seen a 5x increase in their site traffic, and an enormous 2,930 increase in leads per month. A worthy tool for sure. 

Brand24 

If you’re using AI to collect data before your campaigns, why not use it to understand the after-effects too? Brand24 scours through news sites, social media, blogs, forums, videos, and everything else that lives and breathes on the internet to get you a good idea of what’s being said about your business. It then applies sentiment analysis to recurring topics and the underlying emotions of users.  

It goes a step beyond the traditional Google keyword search as it highlights the extremities. It brings to attention problematic mentions to quickly respond and intervene, and great reviews to be proud of. Additional features include hashtag trend-spotting, masterclasses for marketers and enhanced CX experience.  

Uber, Intel, and Stanford University are big fans of this tool, and so are we. 

These are a few of our top picks for you to try in 2024. But remember that human input and editing will always remain an integral part of the process. It is not AI that dominates the industry, but marketers using AI who do.  

Book your complimentary discovery call here to discuss your marketing needs.

The post Top AI marketing tools you should be using in 2024  appeared first on Brighter Directions.