Climate change is a pressing topic these days, keeping sustainability top of mind for consumers and marketers alike. And for many brands, sustainability marketing is no longer a suggestion. It’s a necessity when looking to foster loyalty with today’s consumers. Brands that tap into sustainable practices are gaining market share, while those that are disregarding the topic are being left behind.
The spring season is the perfect time for marketers to highlight their brand’s sustainable practices. Earth Hour, the worldwide movement prompting communities to turn their lights off for one hour, takes place in March. Then, Earth Day and Arbor Day follow in April.
Research shows:
- 2 in 3 customers think brands that make a public promise to be sustainable are more trustworthy (GlobalWebIndex);
- 80% of millennials are willing to pay more for products that have social responsibility claims (Nielsen);
- 50% of CPG growth from 2013 to 2018 came from sustainability-marketed products (NYU Stern’s Center for Sustainable Business);
- 47% of internet users worldwide said they had switched to a different product or service because a company violated their personal values (Hotwire, cited by eMarketer).
Are you navigating the sustainability conversation effectively?
We’ve compiled several strategies to help you resonate with consumers in an authentic way:
1. Use the power of social influence
A major component of marketing is making consumers feel like they are part of a community of like-minded people or people they aspire to be like. Seeing influencers featured for their commitment to sustainability is likely to inspire others to act.
The Harvard Business Review cited research in a 2019 article that this strategy works. “Harnessing the power of social influence is one of the most effective ways to elicit pro-environmental behaviors in consumption as well. Telling online shoppers that other people were buying eco-friendly products led to a 65% increase in making at least one sustainable purchase,” the publication reported.
Take it one step further. Don’t just tell online shoppers that your loyal customers are buying eco-friendly products—show them. Publish aspirational visual content to illustrate how people can use your products to help change the world.
2. Meet consumers’ standards for transparency
A whopping 73% of customers are willing to pay more for products that guarantee total transparency, according to Sprout Social.
Consumers want to know how their products are made and where. Brands like Reformation and Everlane are delivering just that and seeing the benefits. “In recent years, we’ve taken a more formalized approach to transparency through initiatives like RefScale, factory tours, and sustainability reports, educating consumers about the environmental impact of fashion,” Yael Aflalo, Reformation’s founder and CEO told Business Insider.
What do you do if your brand’s practices aren’t perfect? If you’re actively working to combat the problem, own up to it. Outdoor brand Patagonia is known for its commitment to sustainability but is honest about the fact that it uses fossil fuels to produce some of their coats.
“Being transparent about the situation is part of what makes Patagonia so impressive,” reported Fabrik Brands last year. “Additionally, the organization always shares information about its environmental initiative on social media too. If that wasn’t enough, Patagonia also gives 1% of its sales to Earth Tax – which supports ecological organizations around the world to restore forests, take down dams, and protect endangered species.”
3. Inspire customers to reuse and recycle your products
This strategy works particularly well for CPG brands that sell products packaged in plastic or glass containers. Take Coca-Cola, for example.
The brand launched a campaign last year reminding people to recycle their cans and bottles. “As well as taking action to make our packaging as sustainable as possible, it’s important that we use our marketing and communications to encourage more people to recycle our bottles after they have enjoyed the drink,” Kris Robbens, marketing director at Coca-Cola Great Britain, told MarketingWeek. “They are more likely to do this if they know they can be turned into new bottles again.”
Talenti Gelato is another brand that crushes it at inspiring customers to be sustainable. Its social team regularly posts images on Facebook and Instagram of fans reusing empty ice cream jars for other purposes. They promote a dedicated hashtag that people can use when they upload their repurposed jars – making it easy to thumb through the content.
Clothing brands are also making meaningful waves in this space. Platforms like Poshmark and ThredUp have built their businesses on selling recycled clothes. And Madewell heavily promotes their exchange deal, which gives customers money off for each pair of old jeans they recycle in-store.
If you have a story to tell about reusing or recycling your products, find a creative way to tell it.
4. Don’t force a sustainability narrative if it doesn’t exist
This conversation is an important one, but not every brand has a sustainability story to tell.
If you try to force a narrative about sustainability that doesn’t exist on your customers – you’re putting yourself at risk of being called out for “greenwashing.” This tactic misleads customers into thinking a company is more sustainable than it actually is.
“The key to navigating the sustainability minefield, according to experts, is a larger degree of self-awareness among brands, specifically knowing when to let sustainable decisions speak for themselves versus amplifying claims in marketing that may not always measure up,” reported Marketing Dive.
Authenticity, as always, is key.