How to Communicate Your Sustainability Efforts Without Coming Across as Greenwashing
If you are afraid to communicate your sustainability campaigns because you do not want to come across as greenwashing or get “backlash”, I am going to show you how you can do that in this blog. I will explain how you exactly can communicate your sustainability efforts.
TIP #1 - There’s No Perfectly Sustainable Brand
Quite frankly, a perfect brand does not exist. There is no truly sustainable fashion brand or truly sustainable business in the world. Every single business emits carbon, uses water and electricity, and has an impact on the environment. If you wanted to be truly sustainable, you would not have a brand in the first place.
Some people feel pressured when they first start their sustainability journey to be perfect because they are afraid of backlash. Some are afraid of doing it wrong, but I am permitting you to be imperfect! This should be freeing for you and alleviate a lot of pressure. People go into this being overwhelmed and scared to approach it because they think it needs to be perfect and everything has to be done 100% correctly.
Sustainability is a continuous journey. It does not happen overnight. You are going to be imperfect at this and that is okay. You just need to start and you need to try. Give yourself time, resources, and a budget. Let yourself improve continuously and do your best each day.
TIP #2 - Be Authentic and Transparent
You need to start to share what you are doing. A lot of consumers think that if you are not consuming anything, that means you are not doing anything. This is not the case. You might be too shy or too scared to talk about it because you do not want to receive backlash. You are afraid that you are not doing it perfectly enough. However, going back to our first tip, you have to remember that there is no 100% sustainable brand. Everyone starts from somewhere.
We talked about this as well in our previous YouTube video on How to be a Sustainable Fashion Brand (Without Greenwashing) so make sure you watch it.
TIP #3 - Provide Metrics
Brands can say that they are sustainable, ethically conscious, or eco-friendly until they are blue in the face. Imagine if you have data and you have metrics to back up what you are saying. You can stand out and cut across all the greenwashing! It is really important to measure your data so you can continuously improve and raise the bar.
TIP #4 - Share Your Targets and Roadmaps
Know exactly when and how you are going to get there. Develop a monthly, quarterly, yearly, or even 5 to 10-year roadmap. This is crucial because this is going to be your North Star. Plan how you are going to achieve your objectives step by step so you can tell your team too and they are informed.
Additionally, you can share your journey with your customers and involve them as well. Sustainability is a journey and it is an evolution - you never stop. In sum, we always do better as we commit and strive to continue improving, so it is important to develop a roadmap.
TIP #5 - Be Careful How You Position Things
Do not oversimplify things. Know that there is a fine balance between too much information but also we cannot just try to do clickbaity titles such as “carbon negative” for this stuff because it is a nuisance. Instead of saying “carbon negative”, we can instead say that we are taking steps to reduce our carbon footprint through carbon offsetting by planting trees.
Additionally, we need to be specific and scientific in how we position ourselves. For instance, instead of branding ourselves as “carbon negative” with little to no scientific evidence, we can say that we are an “ever-evolving brand constantly trying to do better”. Empower your customers with the knowledge, do it in a user-friendly way, and assume that your customers are smart because they do.
TIP #6 - Take Accountability
You are the founder of your brand. Therefore, you are responsible for what the brand is doing. This means that if something happens, you take accountability for it. You need to treat it as an opportunity to do better because you need to continuously improve your sustainability efforts.
Do the best you can. Continuously raise the bar. If something happens, own up to it and address it. Take ownership of it and explain why you have made the decision you made based on your time, resources, and budget.
TIP #7 - Welcome Questions
Do not back away from people who are asking questions. Welcome them. This means that consumers are becoming more aware and curious. If they are asking you questions and you have answers, you can now solidify and show them what they should be doing. This makes you not only the one accountable but also your audience.
If you’d like help with your sustainability strategy, sustainability priorities, sourcing materials and manufacturers, reporting impacts, and communicating efforts to customers — we can work together through our Sustainability Consulting Services. Our team only works with a limited number of clients every year so if you’re interested in working together, you can request a complimentary consultation to see if it’s a fit to work together and create a tailored consulting package for your needs.
