13 examples of sustainable marketing

1. Share sustainability content on social media

Over time, customers have become more interested in eco-friendly products. In turn, organizations with environmentally focused offerings are exploring creative ways to engage with these audiences.

For example, the sustainable fashion brand Rapanui developed a catalog of products made from sustainable materials, such as certified organic cotton, which is grown without harmful pesticides and fertilizers. The factories that manufacture the company's products run on renewable energy.

Social media content that addresses Rapanui's sustainability efforts regularly outperforms the brand's other product-based content by over 300% in reach and engagement, said Hannah Rochell, former content lead at Teemill. Rapanui uses Teemill as its e-commerce platform.

"Our customer base is politically and socially engaged in tackling sustainability issues worldwide," Rochell said. "By creating content that is relevant to their interests, we position ourselves as a driving force of change in the industry and create a community of engaged customers who share our values."

2. Create personalized, sustainable offerings

A lot of marketing involves creating what people want. Personalized products have become more popular in recent years. Rapanui's team created a custom design webpage that lets customers create their own products. The page has a conversion rate five times higher than other site pages.

"Our customizable products are our best-selling category," said Tom Marriott, former brand lead at Teemill. "We capture browsing intent through on-page [search engine optimization] and constantly improve the user experience of our design studio, finding that sweet spot between traffic and conversion rate."

Customers are looking for ways to shop more sustainably, and they like to see their order contributing something positive to the world.

3. Partner with charities

Organizations can also align their environmental actions with sales or promotions. For instance, Teemill runs regular tree-planting offers in coordination with its charity partner, Tree-Nation. Teemill stores can choose to promote the offer to their customers, and Tree-Nation will plant a tree with every order.

Teemill's team has found that, during the "Buy One, Get One Tree" weekends, online stores that promote the offer see a 42% increase in traffic and a 25% increase in revenue compared to a typical weekend.

"Customers are looking for ways to shop more sustainably, and they like to see their order contributing something positive to the world," said Sára Debreceni, former digital content officer at Teemill. "Our tree-planting weekends are some of our most effective offers, despite offering no discount."

4. Promote accessible product information

As consumers become increasingly concerned with the environment, they want to support businesses that offer sustainable products. Organizations should do more than add sustainability messaging to their mission statements. They should take specific, measurable ESG actions, such as planning to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and using organic materials in product production. Marketing teams can then share those actions with consumers to build trust.

Sustainable product marketing has already become more prominent among brands like Nike and Ikea, said Marcel Hollerbach, chief innovation officer at Productsup, a product information management platform. For example, Nike introduced Nike Forward, a lightweight material that aims to reduce the brand's carbon footprint by 75% compared to traditional knit materials. Nike promotes this material on its sustainability portal. Similarly, Ikea promotes how it makes 60% of its products from renewable materials.

5. Get third party-certified

Organizations can use third-party certifications and verifications to make sustainable product information more visible to customers.

B Corp Certification is a private sustainability certification for for-profit organizations. Certified organizations can place the B seal on their products, which may help them attract and retain environmentally and socially conscious consumers.

"Rather than sharing a list of sustainable practices on the product itself, a seal from Certified B visually shows a company prioritizing sustainability," Hollerbach said.

6. Be transparent about supply chains

To invest in a sustainable supply chain, organizations must prioritize care for workers and the environment. Socially conscious consumers want visibility into the social practices of organizations' supply chains.

Many larger brands have rolled out supply chain tracking tools to meet this demand for transparency. For example, Nike's Manufacturing Map lets consumers learn where the brand manufactures products, the number of workers in each factory, their average age and how many are migrant workers. Similarly, Patagonia's Our Footprint webpage helps visitors learn about product materials, environmental programs, social responsibility and how the company makes its products.

7. Invest in communities

The healthcare industry continues to explore how community events can improve health outcomes for patients and reduce burnout for healthcare providers. Additionally, community offerings can help providers boost their brand recognition.

For example, Open Source Wellness is a nonprofit that works with healthcare organizations to create community events that offer healthy meals, mindfulness and movement practices, and small-group health coaching. The programs aim to improve customers' health outcomes and experiences with healthcare providers.

Being part of a community can help participants achieve their health goals, according to Dr. Benjamin Emmert-Aronson, co-founder and director of operations at Open Source Wellness. The organization's research showed participants reduced their blood pressure by 20 points and their depression and anxiety by over 40%.

"We have always had a real focus on the community because we believe that the social support of the community drives the rest of our choices around our health and well-being," Emmert-Aronson said. "With that social support in place, healthy behavior no longer occurs as a chore, but as a fun choice that happens naturally."

Community events have helped Open Source Wellness build customer relationships and create brand advocates who advertise the organization through word of mouth. For instance, other healthcare organizations, such as Health Care Services Agency of Alameda County, Recipe4Health and Kaiser Permanente, have helped spread the word.

8. Become a thought leader in sustainability

Organizations can establish themselves as thought leaders on sustainability topics to gain competitive advantages, such as improved brand reputation and authority. To achieve this status, brands can host or participate in educational events, publish original research and regularly share sustainability content on social media. This helps them build trust with environmentally and socially conscious consumers and brands.

For example, Emmert-Aronson and his co-founder, Dr. Elizabeth Markle, have used their wellness expertise to present at academic and industry conferences, as well as TEDx events. These speaking engagements let Emmert-Aronson promote Open Source Wellness's Community as Medicine model to a wide range of potential clients. Brands whose leaders and partners develop a respected speaking portfolio can improve the organization's messaging and widen its reach.

9. Embrace sustainable merchandise

Sustainable merchandise refers to products that manufacturers create with eco-friendly materials and socially responsible supply chain practices. For instance, a sustainable footwear retailer might use natural and biodegradable materials over harmful, synthetic materials in its manufacturing process. This reduces the negative environmental effects required to make products.

Many people prefer sustainable merchandise because it benefits the environment or at least reduces perceived harm. Brands can embrace sustainable merchandise to attract environmentally and socially conscious customers and talent.

10. Encourage the reuse of materials and products

Material reuse consumes less energy than recycling and is one of the most effective ways organizations can reduce waste and pollution -- especially if people can reuse items multiple times.

For example, the Just Salad restaurant made headlines with its reusable bowl program and carbon labels on its menus, said Mike Ford, CEO at Skydeo, an Austin-based internet marketing service.

The salad chain offers two reusable bowl programs to reduce the materials required to sell its salads. For in-store orders, customers can participate in the MyBowl program and purchase a bowl to reuse with each in-store visit. For pick-up orders, customers can purchase a BringBack Bowl, which they use for the purchased salad and then return to the restaurant for reuse.

11. Educate consumers

Consumers who understand the environmental benefits of their purchases are more likely to develop meaningful brand connections. However, the science behind product sustainability is complex and nuanced. Therefore, organizations might need to educate their audience on the topic to increase customer engagement and brand loyalty.

Effective education can include transparent information about the following:

• Product origins and sourcing methods.
• Ethical labor practices and fair trade certifications.
• Material composition and environmental effect.
• How the product addresses specific ecological or social challenges.

For example, Tiny Fish Co., a Portland-based tinned seafood company, sells sustainably harvested and underutilized Pacific Northwest fish species. Their business model reduces the negative environmental pressures that overfishing causes. However, consumers might not know much about overfishing, so the brand uses its website and social media presence to educate them on the topic.

"They're not just selling a product. They're educating consumers on species diversity, local ecosystems and ocean health in every email and social post. That's sustainable marketing done right," Ford said.

12. Use data-driven audience targeting

Data-driven targeting is the use of customer data to understand and reach specific audiences with personalized marketing efforts. This approach helps marketers refine their strategies, improve targeting accuracy and achieve more measurable results. It tailors messages and offers for specific customer segments, enhancing engagement and increasing conversions.

Organizations in various industries, including consumer packaged goods, apparel, quick-service restaurants and B2B SaaS, use predictive data-driven audience targeting to run sustainability-focused campaigns, Ford said.

The following are some examples of data-driven targeting:

• Look-alike audience targeting. This tactic identifies key characteristics of an organization's audience on one channel and uses them to target similar or look-alike audiences across other channels. For example, a retailer might analyze data from its customer loyalty program to learn that college-educated women frequently interacted with one of its recycling campaigns. Marketers could then use this demographic information for personalized social media ads.
• Behavioral targeting. This approach uses customers' behavioral data, such as browsing history, to create tailored ads. For example, a fashion and beauty brand might offer discounts on eco-friendly products to people who've searched for sustainable makeup on the company website.
• Location-based targeting. This marketing tactic uses customers' location data to create targeted outreach. For instance, a solar panel brand might focus its marketing efforts on customers in regions with strong renewable energy incentives from governments and utility companies.

13. Take advantage of virtual product placement

Virtual product placement (VPP) is a digital advertising technique that uses AI to integrate branded products and logos into existing digital content, such as television shows, movies or social media videos. The technology lets video editors use computer-generated imagery and visual effects in postproduction to add products virtually rather than physically.

"One of the things that makes virtual product placement perfect for a sustainable marketing approach is that organizations are not shipping products to creators in advance," said Cory Treffiletti, chief marketing and digital officer at Rembrand, a virtual product placement software company.

This approach can reduce greenhouse gas emissions and waste related to shipping and packaging. Additionally, it lets brands update placements over time without additional production costs.

Editor's note: This article was written by George Lawton. David Weldon updated and expanded it.

George Lawton is a journalist based in London. Over the last 30 years, he has written more than 3,000 stories about computers, communications, knowledge management, business, health and other areas that interest him.

David Weldon is a freelance writer in the Boston area who covers topics related to IT, data management, infosec, healthcare tech and workforce management.