Sustainability is trending, and brands are jumping on the bandwagon. Are you still watching from the sidelines?
Let’s change that.
It pays to go green — 46% of American consumers say that sustainability affects their buying choices, and 64% say that brands should act responsibly.
So, how do brands get it right, and what strategies work? Here’s the lowdown:
- Focus on being authentic. Be clear and vocal about brand objectives and plans to go green. Also, provide regular updates. There’s nothing worse than simply saying that your brand cares about Mother Earth while taking zero steps to prove it.
- Make your business more eco-friendly. Use less harmful materials, make packaging 100% recyclable, reduce carbon footprint, contribute towards protecting natural resources, create awareness, dispose of waste ethically, fair wages and trade, no animal testing — the list goes on.
- Comply with local laws geared towards protecting the environment. Compliance goes a long way in showing how committed your brand is to the cause.
- Continuously innovate. Rome wasn’t built in a day. It takes an ongoing dedication to reduce negative environmental impact.
Take Delta Airlines, for example. Sustainability and profits don’t go hand in hand for an aviation company, do they? Wrong. As part of its green initiative, the company switched 200 planes with 25% more fuel-efficient planes, with plans to replace 10% of the jet fuel derived from fossil fuel with a better alternative. The company has also started using products that are either 100% made from recycled materials or are recyclable.
Patagonia makes for another excellent case study. Fast fashion is killing the planet one discarded garment at a time. The company is seriously into activism — documentaries, resources, petitions, volunteering — you name it, they utilize it. Patagonia also uses humane and fair legal conditions with proper transparency.
At the end of the day, brands shouldn’t be concerned about the environment to make more money. It must be done because it is right, and brands can do it well. If efforts are genuine and transparent, they will successfully connect with consumers and build brand loyalty.
