MISSION AND VISION IN THE LANGUAGE OF SUSTAINABLE BRANDS: SOCIOLINGUISTIC ISSUES

Abstract

The article presents the result of the linguistic analyses of sustainable brands’ mission and vision. The mission must be emotional to create a sense of faith in the brand in the target audience and encourage it to decision-making. It is important to correctly use linguistic tools to create certain emotions and reflect sustainable brands’ values. Sustainable development according to the United Nations is the organizing principle for meeting human development goals while at the same time, sustaining the ability of natural systems to provide the natural resources and ecosystem services upon which the economy and society depend. There are three dimensions of sustainability: economic, social, and environmental, recognizing that these dimensions are interrelated and interdependent. The Sustainable developmental goals (SDGs) consist of seventeen universal transformative goals. In the execution of the SDGs, the role of language is also eminent. The brand is a participant in the communicative process being a sender that transmits the information to a recipient (consumer). The way a brand communicates with its audience is the brand language – a set of verbal and non-verbal tools. The mission statement, being a brand language element, is a clear, concise, and sustainable statement about the reasons for the existence of the brand today. Sustainable brands are brands that undertake sustainable practices in the workings of their business and champion them. They then use brand communication tools to convey these benefits to their end consumer hence enabling them to make conscious decisions while being associated with or buying from that brand. Sustainable brands may use a mission statement to communicate their sustainability approaches. Thus, a mission statement being an emotionally influential communication tool is powerful in achieving sustainable development goals.