Eco-friendly branding: designing for a sustainable future
How do brands successfully integrate sustainability into their branding and marketing, from packaging to digital campaigns? And is it a trend or a change?
What is eco-branding?
Eco branding is a way for companies to inform and promote their pledge to protect the environment. Companies that have taken the initiative to improve the planet can display and market all their initiatives to attract consumers who care about sustainability and their carbon footprint.
Buying a product is no longer just a transaction,
it is an ethical dilemma.
Whilst lots of businesses claim to donate a percentage of their profits to environmental causes, not all brands can say that their whole business model aims to improve the environment. Green-washing is the opposite of eco-branding and is where a company makes mis-leading statements about the environmental claims they make about their products or practices.
Most consumers now choose brands that advocate for causes they care about, but do these companies do it for profit or to actually change the world?
A perfect example of good eco-branding is Patagonia. They refer to themselves as a responsible company and are open that they use some fossil fuels to create their products. By being transparent in their production as well as their goals to create garments that last and aren’t considered as ‘fast fashion’ has put them ahead in the eco-branding game. They acknowledge that what they take from the planet to create their garments they can't give back, which is why this product should last you a lifetime. They have also criticised the Black Friday shopping hysteria with ads such as ‘Don’t buy this jacket’ in an attempt to lure people in to educate them on the over-consumerism of the world.
‘Don’t buy this jacket’ Patagonia ad in the New York times
Similar to Patagonia, Timberland aims to demonstrate that, by buying their products, you are making an eco-conscious decision. Timberland claims that their iconic boots are made from recycled plastic and rubber, and get their leather from tanneries that put animal welfare first. Timberland is also encouraging people to help in changing the world forward through their ‘Nature needs heroes’ campaign, which focuses on people from communities in London, Shanghai and Chicago who have brought about real change. Using their platform to show to their audience that they need to be part of the solution, Timberland stands out in educating the consumer.
‘Nature needs heroes’ campaign in-store
Loyle carner for ‘Nature needs heroes’ 2024
With an eco-friendly purpose of recycling food from restaurants, fast food chains, and supermarkets, TooGoodToGo is the world’s largest marketplace for surplus food. Their campaigns help showcase the misinterpretation of food waste in households due to the date labels on food packaging. They are using their platform to launch their initiative called “Look-Smell-Taste” to encourage people to trust their senses with food that is deemed out of date because of the Best Before labels.
These three brands are an example of eco-branding that isn’t about using imagery of nature or sustainability to come across as creating a difference. The theme with these three examples is education, and that is what brands need to be implementing to successfully demonstrate eco-branding.
TooGoodToGo EU food waste labels
Lush 'being anti-social’ campaign
Lastly, an interesting different approach is no marketing whatsoever: LUSH cosmetics relies on user-generated content created by their community, having no marketing strategies for their products - and no social media advertising! They instead use their budget to produce high quality products instead, as well as using their platform and shop windows to raise awareness about social and environmental issues. They aim on being circular with their materials and protecting forests and wildlife with their packaging, as well as limited edition soaps where 100% of the proceeds go to re-wilding the landscapes they get their materials from.
So, do you choose where you buy things on how sustainable the company markets itself? Or will you now consider how brands market themselves to you in order to appear eco-friendly…