Sustainability is no longer optional—it’s a mandate. Consumers, investors, and regulators expect brands to adopt environmentally responsible practices, and companies are stepping up with creative strategies to meet these demands. Here are ten essential tactics every brand should know to thrive sustainably
1 Authentic Storytelling
Authentic storytelling will remain a key tactic for brands in 2025, especially in the tech and Saas sectors where transparency is crucial. Authentic storytelling involves sharing your brand’s sustainability journey through real-life stories that show your sustainability goals. In the
Saas ecosystem where the carbon footprint of data centers, electric waste, and energy consumption is high, authentic storytelling offers the best medium to communicate to your audience how you are dealing with these challenges. It may be how to reduce paper usage and energy efficiency.
A brand that does this well is Salesforce. Salesforce is a platform that allows businesses to connect to their customers seamlessly. Rather than just promote their products, they shared stories on how companies like Atlassian, use its platform to collate, track, analyze, and reduce their carbon footprint and make decisions to reduce their environmental impact. Their story helps foster trust and connects them with companies who are keen on adopting environmentally conscious strategies
2 Use Eco- friendly packaging
Brands use eco-friendly packaging to avoid greenhouse gas emissions or excessive waste by reducing the use of materials such as plastic and styrofoam, most of which end in landfills or in the ocean. It will be a focus of sustainable discussion as consumer awareness grows. In 2025, we can expect that eco-friendly packaging will not be niche-focused but a mainstream expectation. So the way a brands source , designs, and manages its packaging materials will be their credential to show to be tagged sustainable brands
Many brands globally are already jumping on this trend, in the beauty industry, Lush introduced naked packaging, where its products didn’t need packaging. When packaging is necessary, it uses post-consumer recycled plastic which can be returned by customers after purchase. Also, Notpla, a sustainable packaging startup, makes packaging from plant-based materials such as seaweed. It is 100% biodegradable and naturally decomposes within weeks and prevents long-term pollution. Just Eat is one of the companies using Nopta packaging.
Aside from consumers who are drawn to environmentally conscious brands, doing something different can attract a lot of consumers who just want to try something new.
3 Transparency and Reporting
In 2025, transparency isn’t up to debate for sustainable branding. You must be open about your business model, policies, and sustainable initiatives as they are crucial in building the trust of investors, consumers, and stakeholders. Transparency goes beyond making promises about reducing carbon footprint. It demands verifiable data as consumers are skeptical of greenwashing.
Reporting is the most effective way to verify sustainability. Examples of the frameworks you can use include Environmental, social, and governance (ESG), Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) and Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB).
With the release of annual reports, brands invite public scrutiny and this compels them to stay true to their promises to avoid negative press and backlash. Transparency helps to improve customer loyalty and long-term brand equity
4 Sustainable Supply Chain Practices
Supply chains are the lifeblood of a brand’s operations, and they have a significant impact on its overall sustainability. It begins with the raw material sourcing, manufacturing, distribution, disposal, the environmental to social consequences. For most companies, especially producers of consumer goods, their carbon footprint is secondary, it comes indirectly due to partners in the supply chain.
Aside from production sourcing and distribution, supply chains also have an ethical dimension. Unethical sustainability practices include unsafe working conditions, violations of human rights, and exploitative labor practices. Brands are held accountable for the environmental performance and ethical impact of their suppliers. So you must do background checks on any partner to ensure they are truly a sustainable brand .
5 Foster Community Engagement
In 2025, the drive will be humans first before profit. Consumers will favor brands that engage their community and take part in local initiatives. This involves participating in the decision-making and sustainability initiatives of the community. Whether you do it through philanthropy, partnerships, with local non-profits, or volunteer work, community engagement shows your company’s commitment to creating long-term value. It also improves brand perception, word-of-mouth referrals, and partnerships with local stakeholders and even the Government.
6 Embrace Curricular Economic Practices
A circular economy is the opposite of the traditional linear economy where we make, use, and dispose of. In a circular economy, we reuse, recycle, and regenerate materials to keep them in circulation for as long as possible and reduce waste. The goal is to create a system and product with a closed loop where less virgin material is needed consequently, reducing environmental impact.
In 2025, circular economy practices will gain much traction as they offer a $4.5 trillion economic opportunity as both consumers and businesses recognize the environmental and economic benefits of this approach.
Brands, looking to implement circular economy strategies should
- Rethink how products are designed, manufactured, and disposed
- Create a more durable product
- Take-Back and Recycling Programs
- Use Recycled Materials
- Do Leasing and Product-as-a-Service Models
- Use refurbished materials
- Collaboration and Shared Platform
By adopting circular economic practices brands reduce resource extraction, and carbon emissions and make the future more sustainable.
7 Develop Sustainable Products
In 2025 brands that innovate in sustainable product development will not only reduce their environmental impact but be ahead of the curve as consumer demand for green products grows.
Sustainable product innovation means designing products that use less, are made from renewable or recycled materials, are more energy efficient, and have longer lives. It also means products that are easy to disassemble, repair, or recycle and contribute to a circular economy. It involves rethinking traditional manufacturing processes, materials, and product life cycles.
For example, sustainable innovations in textile technology have led to the creation of fabrics made from sustainable materials such as Tencel (from wood pulp) or Econyl, ( from recycled ocean plastic).
In the electronics sector, brands now use modular designs that allow consumers to repair and upgrade their devices, preventing the need to replace them entirely. Fairphone is at the forefront of this innovation, it designed its phone to be modular and easily repairable which makes it more durable and reduces electronic waste.
8 Leverage Digital Platforms for Sustainability Messaging
In 2025 digital platforms will play a bigger role in helping brands and consumers be more sustainable. With digital platforms, you can track, reduce, and share environmental impacts. There are tools that track carbon footprints like JouleBug or Oroeco and apps for energy optimization. Also, Salesforce’s Sustainability Cloud, allows businesses to track and visualize carbon footprints and see how other businesses can track their carbon output while also providing insights into how different aspects of their operations contribute to their overall environmental impacts.
Also, brands can use social media, such as Twitter, Instagram, and Titok to share their stories and engage their audience in real-time. They can use user-generated content or behind the scenes of how your product looks and discuss the eco-friendliness of the product materials. It can be also used to promote eco-friendly campaigns or product launches. By using digital platforms, brands can improve their environmental performance and inspire consumers to join them in building a more sustainable future.
9 Involve Employees
For a brand to be truly sustainable, it must go beyond corporate statements- it must be intertwined with the company’s culture. Fostering a sustainability-inclined internal culture is important because employees are the lifeblood of every organization.
When employees are in tandem with the sustainability goals, they will be responsible for sustainability initiatives, come up with creative suggestions, and act as brand ambassadors who share those values with customers and stakeholders. To shift your employees towards sustainability requires more than an executive buy-in, it demands you create an atmosphere where they are valued and empowered to contribute to environmental goals.
Shifting the internal culture toward sustainability requires more than just executive buy-in; it involves creating an environment where employees feel empowered to contribute to environmental goals. This might involve embedding sustainability into company values, integrating green practices into day-to-day operations, and providing education on the importance of sustainable behavior in the workplace. A strong sustainability culture often starts with leadership modeling eco-friendly behaviors and encouraging accountability at every level of the organization.
10 Promote Sustainability Education and Awareness
While producing sustainable products is great, encouraging and educating consumers is the one most impactful way to build a sustainable future. It involves raising awareness about their actions on the environment and providing consumers with the tools and knowledge they need to make better choices.
Brands should let consumers know the reason they opt for recycled materials and clear labeling. They should guide them on how to use, maintain, and dispose of their products in a sustainable manner, in a bid to ensure consumers can minimize their environmental footprint over the product life cycle.
Brands can collaborate with NGOs and the Government to amplify the sustainable message. They could also use their social media pages to engage with a broader audience and educate them about sustainability.
Examples: Lush uses its social media pages to educate its audience by posting educational content reducing plastic use, supporting ethical sourcing, and promoting cruelty-free beauty. Also, Ecobee, a smart thermostat company, helps users reduce their energy consumption by optimizing heating and cooling patterns based on real-time data. The company’s app shows users how much energy they are saving and provides tips for further reducing their energy use. This approach encourages consumers to be more mindful of their energy habits, helping them lower their carbon footprint while also saving on utility bills.
By promoting sustainability education, brands foster loyalty and differentiate themselves in the competitive marketing ecosystem.
Conclusion
As we head into 2025, adopting sustainable marketing strategies is no longer optional—it’s necessary for long-term success. By leveraging the strategies we mentioned: authentic storytelling, eco-friendly packaging, and circular economy practices, brands can reduce their environmental impact, build trust with consumers, and strengthen their market position.
The benefits of sustainability marketing is clear: enhanced brand reputation, increased customer loyalty, and the potential to drive meaningful change. What beats this?
Now is the time for brands to take bold action and lead the way in sustainability.