If I had a plastic bottle top for every brand that has pledged to be net zero by 2030, I’d have almost as much plastic as there is in the sea. But promises are not enough. Tangible action needs to be taken and communicated. Why? Because words are empty without actions. The more good you actually do, the more you will inspire in others. So, it’s time to really use your platform. 

I’ve just spent an hour and a half in conversation with top marketers from some of the biggest brands out there (adidas, HP, P&G to name a few) to discuss sustainability, virtue signalling and what we as marketers can actually do to help get the world out of this mess. (My words, not theirs.) It's a vast topic, but it’s incredible how much ground you can cover with a diverse set of voices all sharing their views on how brands should approach sustainability going forward. Clearly, there is still hope. 

Yet much of that hope lies in the far-flung and distant future. For none of the big companies are talking about tomorrow, or what they’re doing now. Everybody is talking about 2030 or 2050. But none of the environmental indicators are levelling out; they’re all rising steeply, year on year.

These are frustrating times, but the needle will just keep moving in the wrong direction if we don’t change our behaviour fast enough. With promises in place of action, and offsetting helping us mask the underlying issues, consumers are flooded with half truths about what to do. One thing for sure is that we need to do more than change our messaging to create the right ‘brand story’. It’s time to really give a damn.

Sustainability is a right

The panel discussed the ways in which sustainable projects need long term businesses investment, rather than just being a bolt-on or an afterthought. Sustainability is a journey and many brands have come to realise is that they haven’t got all the answers, they have made mistakes along the way, but they continue to try and test.

Sustainability is a right, not a privilege. We all need access to affordable products and services that don’t pollute the planet or exploit others to exist. We don’t need another brand promise that’s only there to make us feel good about ourselves and our individual consumer choices. 

Brands just need to do good. End of story. Because when all brands are doing good, we won’t need to spin ‘sustainable stories’ or greenwashed virtue signals. As Syndrome says in the Incredibles - “When everyone's super, no one will be.” But it’s a long and complex road ahead.

Apart from the brands that are hiding from the problem (who will be brutally disrupted and won’t exist for long, so let’s waste no time on them), those that are actively trying to change are faced with a hugely complex puzzle — a balancing act where customer experience, costs, business models are all shifting like tectonic plates. 

Action above empty words.

So what did we learn about the future for sustainable marketing? Top of the list; don’t boast big, long-term targets. They’re just pumping hot air into your messaging and into the atmosphere.

Instead, admit your vulnerabilities, show you actually care and are doing what needs to be done across the production chain. Bring your community with you on the journey — especially if they are skeptics. Be the guiding voice that educates and helps them understand.

If you’ve made a mess in the past, don’t dwell. Clean up your shit, take responsibility and build systems and processes that ensure it never happens again.

As one of our panel explained:“It starts with not making promises you can’t hold. It’s about creating sustainably, and then talking about it. Then your message has much more meaning than when you just talk about your goals for years ahead. Sure, these are also important, but talking about what you’ve already recently done and the small steps you’re taking matter more to your audience than long-term goals and promises.”

It’s time to weave purpose and sustainability right into the fabric of your company’s culture. Your brand, and the planet, won’t have a future without it.