Some careers have a clear thread running through them. For me, that thread has always been the environment.

I’m humbled to have been recognised as an Environment 100 Award Winner for my contribution to environmental sustainability and communications. It is a recognition I’m genuinely proud of but also one that reminds me how much work remains.

My birthday falls on World Environment Day, which has always felt like a rather meaningful coincidence. My interest in protecting the environment began long before sustainability became a corporate buzzword. As a teenager, I was already thinking about the impact of human behaviour on the planet, including making the personal decision to become vegetarian because of my concerns about environmental impact and animal welfare.

Environmental stories before sustainability became a business priority. My first professional language was journalism.

Working as a journalist and editor in India and later in the Midlands and North West of England, I found myself repeatedly drawn to stories about communities, pollution, environmental damage and the human consequences of poor environmental decisions.

I reported on issues including street pollution and community cleanliness in deprived areas, as well as environmental disasters that affected ordinary families.

One investigation into asbestos attracted significant national interest.

What stayed with me was not simply the environmental story itself, but the human story underneath it: people living with the consequences of decisions made by organisations and institutions far removed from their everyday lives. That experience shaped the way I communicate sustainability today.

Statistics, regulation, and science are essential. But people need a reason to care.

From journalism to visual storytelling

My environmental advocacy has also found its way into my art.

As an artist and cartoonist, I have used humour and visual storytelling to explore climate change, consumption, pollution and humanity’s complicated relationship with the planet.

Some of my environmental cartoons have been approved by organisations including Friends of the Earth and Amnesty International, while my artwork has been exhibited through international platforms including Saatchi Art.

One of my photographs depicts the act of applying sunscreen to a globe, serving as a simple visual metaphor for a planet enduring increasingly intense heat and simultaneously questioning the human greed and consumption that contribute to this pressure.

For me, art provides another way to communicate an issue that can sometimes become lost beneath statistics and technical language.

Turning sustainability into action through marketing

Over the past few years, that environmental passion has come together with my professional experience in marketing and communications.

As Head of Marketing at Keenan Recycling, a Biffa company, I have worked at the intersection of sustainability, food waste, regulation, business and communications.

My work has included developing campaigns, blogs, infographics, videos, social content, press releases, thought leadership and educational material designed to help businesses understand the environmental and commercial consequences of food waste.

I have written extensively about food waste reduction, recycling, the circular economy, food waste regulations and the practical steps businesses can take to reduce their environmental impact.

I’ve also worked to build relationships with businesses, public organisations, NHS organisations, hospitality bodies, trade organisations and other stakeholders to help bring the food-waste conversation to a wider audience.

One message I have consistently tried to communicate is simple: food waste is not just a waste problem. It is a business problem, a climate problem and an opportunity to do things differently.

Making sustainability understandable

That, ultimately, is where I believe marketing has an important role to play.

Sustainability can be full of complicated terminology, legislation, targets and technical information. Good marketing and communications should make those subjects relevant and actionable.

Whether I’m writing a blog, creating an infographic, developing a campaign, speaking to a journalist or working with a senior stakeholder, I try to start with the same question: What does this mean for the person I’m trying to reach?

That approach comes from my journalism background, but it has become equally valuable in marketing.

I’ve learned that the best sustainability communication does not lecture people. It gives them a reason to understand, participate and change.

Hope is part of the strategy

The Environment 100 recognition is a wonderful milestone, but I don’t see it as an endpoint.

The planet is under enormous pressure from climate change, resource consumption, pollution and biodiversity loss. There is no shortage of difficult conversations ahead.

I don’t believe hope is the opposite of realism; rather, it’s what drives us to keep working toward solutions. Businesses can evolve, consumers can shift, and technology can bridge the gaps. With the right policies and clear communication, we can pull all of these pieces together.

After over 25 years working across journalism, digital communications, product, marketing and sustainability, I’ve become increasingly convinced that the most powerful campaigns are those that combine evidence with empathy, strategy with storytelling, and ambition with practical action.

I am grateful for the Environment 100 recognition. But I’m even more grateful for the opportunity to keep doing the work.

There is still much to discuss. Much to change. And, importantly, much to hope for.

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Vinay Jalla is a Manchester-based marketing, communications and product professional, artist and former journalist with more than 25 years' experience across sustainability, environmental services, technology, digital communications, journalism and B2B marketing.