Sustainability Branding Principles and Best Examples (2024)

Sustainability brandingis the process of focusing and integrating identifiedenvironmental, economic and social issuesinto the operations of a business.

Thesesustainability effortsinvolvecreating, maintaining and projecting abrandthat offers the benefits of sustainability to customers and the planet.

Generally, consumers are becoming more switched on to the damage brands are doing to the environment and sustainable brands are leading the charge to reverse that cycle to meet the growing appetite for sustainability from consumers.

While a traditional business will like to think about maximizing profit,sustainability brandingemphasizes a greater purpose.

An effectivesustainability programmakes it clear to thetarget audiencethat their business model aspires to more than just boosting theirbottom line.

People are now more concerned than ever about findingeffective ways to address environmental, economic and social issues.

Moreeco-friendlybrands are emerging putting the needs of the planet ahead of their profit margin.

Today’s consumers expect brands to become more sustainable in theirbusiness operations, and it is only thosebrands that support these idealsthat will make a long term impact.

According to Business Wire, 60 percent of global consumers ratesustainability as an important purchasing criterion.

Everyone likes to put their money where their mouth is, and this is the case with consumers and sustainability. Consumers now seek out products and services that support the causes they care about such as usingrenewable energyand purchasinggreen products.

It is not enough to be asustainable brand, you have to properly communicate your commitment to fightingclimate changeand facingenvironmental issueshead-on.

Brands that take a stand on social issues and those who are proactive in their communication will easily win thehearts of theirtarget audience.

Show Me

Sustainable brandinggoes beyond using green-themed logos and designs or stickingeco-friendlylabels around packages.

Your entire process has to reveal sustainability to be able toget the right message out.

According toSustainable Brands,eco-friendlycompanies should have asustainability roadmapthat includes:

System-wide brand influence

Net-positive products and services

Purpose beyond profit

Regenerative operations which are evident in the use of recyclable materials and sustainable processes

A good road map will help businesses create sustainable strategies that will guarantee long-term impact and market relevance.

If you are a brand designer or copywriter, sometimes you are working outside the organization or you are not directly involved in the operations side of things, and yet you are tasked with the responsibility ofcreating abrand imageor voice.

Before you place a demand on your creative gland, you will need to understand everything that goes into the brand you are marketing and how those processes align with the mindset of the consumers in terms of sustainability.

Your job will then be to help create the connection betweenthe processes and the purposeand then creatively communicate that to consumers.

As a copywriter or designer, you can help your clients find and build their sustainability branding narrative by looking at their entire process from material selection, to production, to packaging, and end-use.

Sustainability branding is not “greenwashing”

There is no need to put aneco-friendlylabel on a product when you can’t showcase what was done differently to make the product sustainable.

However, you want to be authentic and transparent and talk about what you are already doing to supportsustainability efforts.

Even if you are not there yet, you can share your big vision and then talk about the milestones you are hitting.

Claims about your sustainable business must be noticeable and verifiable and the benefits should be directly relevant to the consumer. You don’t want the backlash that will come from claiming what you don’t do.

Therefore, the message you send out and your efforts towards sustainability must be consistent.

When you have incorporatedsustainable practicesin your entire process, it becomes much easier toreflect them in your communications.

Beingsustainable is being people and planet-oriented. This is in sharp contrast to the traditional goal of businesses which is to maximize profit and boost your bottom line.

Asustainable brandwill have a bigger vision which is to create a lasting impact on people, economies, the environment, and communities.

Sustainability practicesrevolve around social, economic and environmental responsibilities.

They can be about reducing emissions, providing an eco-friendly packaging, using renewable energy, recycling, enabling the availability of clean water, or any number of other sustainable practices that will impact the planet positively.

Companies need toengage in conversations with theirstakeholdersand customersand be clear about

What sustainability means to them

What the expectations are

And how they can gradually commit to that expectation as a brand

Whatever happens in the production process is what becomes yoursustainability brandingstory, therefore identify areas where you can be more sustainable than you currently are.

You can appoint a Sustainability Executive to oversee and implement your business’sustainability strategies.

Some brands are already sitting on huge sustainability credentials they are not reflecting in their communications to consumers. By auditing your existing processes, you can find areas where you have been exceptionally sustainability compliant.

What’s next?

Capitalize on that foundation ofsustainable practicesand reinvent your brand communications across email,social media, and other marketing channels.

Retailerbrands, for example, can stick to products that have roots insustainability practicesand communicate that to their customers.

By showcasing and marketing onlygreenproductsthat have been produced fromsustainable practices, they are showcasing themselves assustainable brands.

With their green-white-themed logo,Starbucksalready showcases itself as aneco-friendlycompany.

Visit their website orsocial mediaprofiles and you won’t need anyone to tell you that the company is 100% built around sustainability.

You will find images, graphic illustrations, and messaging that showcase plant-based menu options, reusable packaging, regenerative agriculture and better waste management.

As a way of transparency, they also invite consumers to track the way they produce their products, and how they are cutting emissions by 50%.

Dell, makers of computers, brand themselves sustainable by usingrenewable energyfrom solar panelsin their plants to reduceemissions.

They have also committed parts of their profits to remove about 86 million metric tons of plastic from the oceans while also recycling those resources to create new products.

In communicating these as a brand, you will see the green colours in the designs of their packaging.

In addition, Dell has a friendly recycling plan in place. You can send back your used equipment to Dell and they will safely destroy the potentially harmful parts at no cost to consumers.

Recognizing how the meat production industry impacts the environment negatively,Beyond Meatuses plant-based alternatives to create healthier products that taste just like real meat.

With illustrative graphics and green-themed photos, they communicate theirgreenbrandingfocus of saving the planet and helping consumers to live healthier at the same time.

4.Who Gives A Crap

This toilet paper maker brands itself as the“toilet paper that builds toilets”and dedicates 50% of its profits to building toilets in impoverished communities in the developing world.

The toilet papers are either made from100% bamboo or recycled fiber, and they pride themselves on producing extra soft toilet papers.

This is a good example of agreenbrandthat combines both environmental, economic and social issues in itsbranding strategy.

Lushprojects itsbrand imageas eco-friendly and sustainable. Everything on their website andsocial mediaprofiles mentions sustainability.

Itssustainable practicesare clear to any visitor as they share what they stand for as a brand, especially with their showcase of 100% vegan, handmade cosmetics.

Pelaproduces 100% biodegradable products in a bid to reduce plastic wastes and “create a waste-free future”.

They make phone cases, air pod cases, smartwatch brands, sunglasses and other accessories from compostable and biodegradable materials which are also free from toxic chemicals.

To convey howeco-friendlythey are in the mind of visitors, virtually every product displayed on Pela’s website andsocial mediaprofiles feature

design elements around them that are green such as plant pots, and veggies.

Green Toysproduces safe and green toys for kids that are made from 100% recycled products.

Visit their website orsocial mediaprofiles and you will see how they use colours and images and carefully crafted words to pass across their message as aneco-friendlybrand.

Green Toys didn’t just mention that they use recycled products, they went further to state what they are recycling to make the toys — milk jugs.

Look, Sustainable branding is without a doubt a competitive be advantage where there’s weight behind the words.

Who Gives A Crap makes extra soft toilet papers from recyclable materials and then uses a chunk of their profits to build toilets in rural areas. You can see the connection between theinitiativeand the product they offer.

Let your brand designs reinforce sustainability.

Your logo, website,social mediaand product packages should all communicate your dedication to yoursustainability program. Therefore, think about how you can creatively convey the message across yourbrand strategy.

Finally,sustainable branding— like every other form ofbrand building— takes time to implement since it sometimes has to do with re-aligning your goals and visions and adjusting your processes.

However, you can start right away by changing the narrative around your brand and initiate a new focus as a sustainable business while you implement the changes bit by bit.