A Simple Way to Show Your Customers You’re Serious About Sustainability

In a growing number of markets, business owners need to show customers that they’re serious about sustainability. Given the challenges in demonstrating outcomes that could take years or decades to materialize, one key is to demonstrate sincerity of intent, acknowledging the limits of any efforts and showing evidence of investing in improving those efforts. But sincere strategies are weighed down by the complexity of their messaging. So this time I’ll focus on simplicity: Show off the simplest, most consumer-relevant and -relatable tactics first. Later, if relevant, smaller companies and startups can handhold customers through more complicated concepts like carbon neutrality.

Many consumers value familiar concepts like recycling over “net zero” complexity. We recently asked survey respondents which, if any, of a dozen environmental sustainability support strategies would encourage them to do business with a company. The top three answers by a significant margin were using recycled materials in products, helping customers recycle products or packaging, and cutting back on product packaging to reduce waste. While there may be greater gains to be had in longer-term efforts, these all result in changes consumers can see or experience in some way.

Product packaging became more visible than ever during the pandemic. A survey of procurement, packaging, and brand executives by R.R. Donnelley & Sons, a company offering marketing, packaging, print, and supply chain services, found that nearly two-thirds of them have shifted to more sustainable packaging during these times. Consumers may not realize that Sprite’s shift from green to clear plastic bottles was to make them recyclable, but they’ll certainly see the difference. Similarly, Amazon’s flexible mailers are 75 percent lighter than boxes of a similar size. Its new fully-recyclable padded mailer can go in the same bins as its recyclable cardboard boxes and are equally ubiquitous and boldly branded. True, it’s not always easy to make that shift. Inc. profiled how an organic snack foods company had to make a tough decision to switch from single-use plastic, which lasts longer on store shelves, to compostable wrappers.

Businesses using recycled and/or compostable product or mailing packages can easily make that clear to customers–they can print it right there on the box.

Such consumer-products giants companies as Apple and Lego can count on coverage when they use recycled materials. As an adjunct to its annual sustainability report, Apple did an Earth Day-centered release on how its products had increased their recycled-source content of aluminum, tin, gold, cobalt, and rare earth materials. And while there is still debate around whether the alignment of business and environmental efforts, Lego showed how one company can reinforce its branding when it opened the new Lego HQ campus, complete with outdoor furniture built out of recycled Lego bricks.

Physical retailers also can play a critical role, Staples and Best Buy accept products and materials for recycling and promote it vigorously in their physical and online stores. Staples offers $2 through its rewards program for returned toner cartridges. Best Buy gives coupons and refunds on recycled network and storage devices.