Unilever has established a new independent Creator Council to support and educate beauty influencers with their social media content on sustainability.
It comes after research by Unilever found a majority of content creators (84%) are holding back from mentioning sustainability on their social media channels.
The community will be made up of social media figures across the travel, beauty and lifestyle sectors.
Dr Adanna Steinacker, a digital influencer and medical Doctor, has been named as the first member, with the remaining members to be revealed at a later date.
A new Sustainability Coalition, composed of charitable organisations including Count Us In, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Rare and Futerra Solutions Union, has also been created.
Both groups will work together to co-create digital solutions for social media content creators, nonprofits and brands to make accurate and effective sustainability content.
This includes publishing a framework and guideline to ensure the solutions are in line with the latest climate science.
“There has never been a more critical moment in history to be part of a coalition that puts creators at the heart of advancing new solutions,” said Eric Levine, co-founder, Count Us In, a group of organisations taking high impact steps to address climate change.
“Using credible, science-based guidelines and behaviour change theory, we have the potential to influence billions of people through the collective reach of the creator economy.”
Unilever's study, which polled the views of 232 content creators across YouTube, TikTok and Instagram, revealed that almost two thirds (63%) are creating more sustainability content compared with last year.
However, while a majority of content creators are eager to make a positive impact on the environment through their content, 38% are concerned with unintentionally promoting greenwashing claims.
Influencers also find it difficult to transition from the main focus of their content to sustainability, and also do not feel educated enough on the key sustainability issues.
“As a digital content creator, I feel a responsibility to inspire my audience with solutions that are better for our environmental and planetary health,” added Steinacker.
“It is crucial that brands and creators unite in this mission, dissecting science-backed information into creative storytelling that resonates with the public and influences change on a global scale.”
The study also found that over 9 in 10 (91%) would find more access to content or resources on sustainable living helpful.
They would also like to see more guidance on dealing with audience comments, as well as access to training on making trustworthy statements about the environment.
“We know that sustainability content on social media has the potential to drive more sustainable behaviours, with over three quarters of consumers claiming influencers have the biggest impact on their green choices today,” said Rebecca Marmot, Unilever’s Chief Sustainability Officer.
“Climate Week NYC 2023 is the perfect opportunity to collaborate with others and empower influencers to communicate on the key issues with credibility.”
