“Denormalization” is a term that has been extensively used by the World Health Organization (WHO) in its communications activities. It had its origins in anti-tobacco campaigns as a means of promoting the idea that tobacco use should not be a mainstream activity within society. So many smokers had became convinced – helped by corporate communications and advertising – that smoking is “normal” and that it should be associated with many daily normal activities such as waking up, eating breakfast, having a drink, or reading the newspaper. One way to curb smoking, WHO believes, is to get smokers to smoke during “less normal” occasions during their day and to completely get rid of the notion that smoking should be a normal societal activity in any way. And their communications have led to great results.

WHO used the term further in trying to alleviate mental health illness. It was observed that, for many of us, it is quite “normal” to label mentally challenged people with such terms as “nuts” or “crazy”. Such stigmatization actually harms people under such labels, and may contribute to enhancing the problem. Society should therefore halt such stigmatizing actions.

Denormalization should also be applied to resolving environmental issues. There are so many routine activities which we now consider to be normal, but which actually harm the environment. This includes polluting, using chemicals, over-exploitation of resources, and raising animals in factory farms while causing them undo suffering. Let´s encourage society to realize that such actions should not be normal. Let´s make sustainability the norm. Communications can help.