Small Steps Mighty Impact. Sustainable Marketing or Marketing in a Sustainable World.

Inspired thinking from www.thisistheforge.com which got me thinking. The number of times I hear companies express the desire to find and then communicate their sustainability credentials and claims.

We all hear it constantly: companies scrambling to find and trumpet their sustainability credentials. But there's a subtle yet critical difference between this approach and what I see as a more authentic forward path.

Sustainable marketing, in my view, feels like a forced attempt. Companies twist their messages to fit a sustainability narrative, often resorting to greenwashing tactics that stretch the truth. This approach leads to those generic sustainability signposts – wind turbines, trees, electric cars – plastered everywhere.

Marketing in a sustainable world, however, is fundamentally different. It's about unveiling the genuine story of your product or service. It's about how it aligns with a sustainable future, and often, this honesty allows the sustainability message to shine through naturally, without needing those forced visuals.

Some great examples include M&S strawberries ad with Tom Kitchen; GWR’s Famous Five trip to the seaside and Walker’s potato crisps straight from the farm ad (these examples highlighted by the forge team)

This authentic approach goes beyond just the environment, too. True sustainability encompasses social responsibility, ethical governance, and risk management. By embracing these wider aspects, companies can create marketing that reflects a deep commitment to a sustainable future, not just a superficial attempt to appear that way.