Published
5th February 2026
Read time
7 min read

Cleantech and sustainable innovation organisations are in the spotlight now more than ever before, as Government policy places responsibility on these businesses to achieve our ambitious, yet important, growth goals for the UK.

Sitting at the intersection of brand, stakeholder communications, and behaviour change, at Leopard Co we have decades of experience working with B2B companies, including in cleantech communications, green energy, and sustainable innovation.

The industry is moving fast, and the conversation is noisy. With many businesses in the sector in their infancy, or evolving into new territory, cutting through is difficult, but crucial. So is building brand reputation for cleantech companies.

The general consensus is that people support the destination, but when it comes to the energy transition, the journey is oftentimes seen as uncertain, expensive, or inconvenient.

Not to mention, a lot of the critical infrastructure needed to achieve change has an impact on the everyday person, and with this, you’re not just faced with the challenge of establishing your reputation – but protecting it from negativity from the beginning.

As an organisation in this field, your job is not only to create the solutions to our real-world challenges in innovation, but to alter public perceptions along the way.

This is where cleantech communications is vital, and where we’re here to help.

The three reputational battlegrounds for building brand reputation for cleantech

From influencing policymakers to building trust amongst stakeholders – we know a thing or two at Leopard Co about building a solid brand reputation in the cleantech industry.

For us, there are three core ‘reputational battlegrounds’ you ought to consider as a clean growth business that’ll cement your brand image and strengthen your visibility amongst companies competing for the same space.

Proof over promises

Consider your stakeholder communications for energy projects. Instead of pledging, demonstrate action. Showcase your evidence, outcomes, third-party validations, safety, and governance to your stakeholders. Here, you can combat the conversations that push back on tech and innovation – by demonstrating real-world impact in simple terms with seamless energy infrastructure communications.

Clarity beats complexity 

Don’t turn off your audience through overcomplication. The simplest narratives are the ones that survive scrutiny. Be clear on your proposition and remain consistent; this way you create familiarity with stakeholders, and you build a reputation for being open, honest, and clear about your intentions and ambitions.

Permission to operate

Legitimise your organisation through community. Be known for your transparency and responsiveness. Answer questions with honesty and detail, and you’ll raise your reputation through being a thought leader in the space.

The disruption gap – where infrastructure reputation is won or lost

Through the industrial strategy and the Government’s clean growth targets – conversation around cleantech and energy is not just rife, it’s mainstream. This poses a golden opportunity for businesses in this field. But also, a challenge.

For everyday communities, transition can be troublesome. Roadworks, access issues, noise, and uncertainty are all part and parcel of the infrastructure needed to make tangible change to our energy consumption – but to the average person on the street, they’re a nuisance.

As a company in this space, you have an opportunity to be the voice for the people. To educate and inform. When communications are light and vague, people assume the worst and misinformation fills the gap – combat this by keeping your communications open and consistent.

It’s often the ‘invisible’ work that is most integral to upgrading our infrastructure, but our advice is to never stay silent; take the opportunity in your stride and fill the open space with your narrative cleantech. Reputation management for innovation businesses is a really important consideration.

How cleantech companies can build reputation amidst the disruption gap

How can you do this?

One way we’d recommend is influencing behaviour change in sustainability and honing in on the Behavioural Science (BeSci) principle of loss aversion. Where the pain of losing is psychologically twice as intense as the pleasure of gaining an equivalent amount.

As a cleantech business, you can help quell frustrations amongst communities by communicating the potential loses if not for this work – higher energy bills, climate consequences, and health hazards.

Get in touch to find out more about how you can use BeSci to cleverly communicate.

How to build brand reputation for cleantech by making comms feel fair

Here’s our advice in its simplest form for cleantech, green energy, and sustainable innovation businesses on communicating to stakeholders early, clearly, and with consideration. Especially when you are facing community fallout.

  • Lead with the ‘why’ – what’s the benefit of what you’re doing in human terms?

  • Be specific about the ‘what’ and the ‘when’ – use dates and phases

  • Show you’ve planned for people – consider access, safety, and businesses

  • Give control back – offer sign-up updates, choices, escalation routes, named contacts

  • Use human language – translate technical impact into everyday terms

  • Prove progress – communicate milestones, and before vs. after content

  • Close the loop – confirm completion, share achievements, give thanks

The golden rule is this: keep the community informed at every step, being the business taking the route of proactive communications to win favour and bolster reputation.

Innovation is more believable in ecosystems 

A final thought-starter… the strongest clean technology stories aren’t solo, they’re collaborative.

From the Catapult Network to TEP Birmingham – a clean growth innovation hub that fosters new technology in biomethane, megawatt charging, hydrogen, and rare earth magnet recycling to name just a few – we work with clients that create living ecosystems for innovation, where credibility is reinforced by partners, pilots, and a shared purpose.

This makes communicating their causes all the easier.

For companies in cleantech, green energy, and sustainable innovation, collaborative communication is an avenue to consider. A reputation built together, is one forged stronger than alone. Plus, there is strength in numbers when communicating impact.

Who can you partner with to elevate your position?

Conclusion 

In clean energy and infrastructure, reputation is built when:

  • You make complex change understandable

  • You make disruption feel fair and beneficial

  • You make progress visible

  • You make claims that are provable

From the advice above, you should now have a toolkit in your arsenal to tackle any communications challenge as a cleantech, green energy, or sustainable innovation business – but if you need help to communicate complex change with clarity and fairness, we can help.

A proud member of Sustainability West Midlands, we work alongside innovators and infrastructure organisations shaping the transition required for clean growth. Our role is to help brands turn complexity into clarity, and momentum into trust.

Find out how we can build and craft brand reputation for cleantech businesses by getting in touch. Or, you can find more communications content on our blog page.