Sustainability stories
How to use storytelling to emphasize your sustainability credentials without alienating your audience.
When a brand calls itself sustainable, I often find myself asking what that means. How is it sustainable? What is it actually doing to reduce its impact on the environment? I’m looking for detail. I’m looking for stories.
We’re constantly bombarded with generic and bland information about a company’s eco-credentials and the result is we’ve switched off.
But there are many brands out there that are doing a brilliant job of communicating their sustainability message, and storytelling is at the heart of it.
E.L.V. Denim is one of them
Founded by former stylist Anna Foster, E.L.V. Denim stands for East London Vintage Denim. It’s a luxury clothing and accessories brand that creates beautiful, one-off pieces in its East London atelier from fabric that would otherwise end up in landfill.
The results are one-of-a-kind. This is clothing with a real story, clothing that I can imagine treasuring forever.
The fashion industry is one the largest polluting industries in the world, with jean production at the forefront of this problem. There are more jeans worldwide than people - around 4bn jeans are produced a year, and most end up in landfill.
Anna launched E.L.V. Denim to tackle this issue head-on, righting the wrongs of the clothing industry and creating something new and wonderful in the process.
Anna Foster, founder of E.L.V. Denim
The brand started in 2018 with its signature jeans made from upcycled vintage denim and has since expanded its collection to include shirts, dresses, accessories and more.
When I met Anna recently to discuss a tone of voice project, I was immediately struck by her positive energy. Here was someone who saw a problem and had the courage and creativity to come up with a viable solution.
I bought into her story immediately. But Anna is aware there’s a balance that needs to be struck in the brand’s communications. She doesn’t want to lecture people. The brand needs to shout luxury and yet remain true to its core sustainability values.
A dilemma that many businesses face
As a content writer and brand storyteller, I’m not worried about the challenge. I love nothing more than getting to the nitty-gritty of what a brand stands for and explaining it to the people that matter. Finding the right words is what I do. Plus, there are so many stories to tell.
But I am increasingly struck by the general sense of fatigue about the environmental crisis. It’s almost as if the problem has become bigger than us and any attempts at being sustainable are futile. It’s easy to conclude we’re all doomed, so we might as well enjoy ourselves while we can.
The fear of greenwashing.
When I was working on copy for FatFace recently, a brand that by all accounts has laudable green credentials, I couldn’t refer to a fabric or item of clothing as sustainably-sourced unless I could categorically prove that every point of the supply chain was sustainable.
Brands have become wary of what to say and how. But saying nothing isn’t the answer.
How can you tell your sustainability story with conviction?
Firstly, hire good copy and content writers. Obviously.
But secondly, and most importantly, own it. If you care about sustainability - whether as an individual or as a brand or business - have the courage to talk about it. Do the research. Check your facts. And then run with it. Be proud.
This handy checklist (created for shoppers) from the Competitions & Markets Authority can help you determine whether your eco claims are:
Too vague or lack clear meaning.
Unsubstantiated.
Packaged up with “green” imagery that gives the impression your product is good for the environment but, in reality, isn’t.
When storytelling comes into its own
Want to avoid greenwashing? Then my tip is to drill down into the specifics. Talk about the unique and personal aspects of your sustainability journey.
Share the granular details of what you’re doing to reduce the environmental impact of your business and (most importantly) why.
Don’t overstate things. Tell it like it is, and people will listen.
How are you challenging the status quo? Who is the “baddy” in your industry, and what are you doing about it?
Have you changed your packaging? Are you flying less? Have you switched to a different supplier for eco reasons? Is there a piece of tech you’re using that makes a difference?
Details matter. The characters you meet along the way matter. The personal stories of overcoming challenges matter.
Because, frankly, being sustainable is no longer optional.
Yes, there are rules about what you can and can’t say, but most of it is common sense. And you don’t have to be a Patagonia and donate all your profits to environmental causes to make a difference - although, how bloody awesome was that move?
We can all take small steps in the right direction
When I was a business reporter working for national newspapers, I remember being bemused by the obsession with growth.
Every year, the retailers I wrote about would trot out their figures and proudly reveal how they would expand, make more money, open more shops, merge, buy, and sell. It was relentless, and I remember thinking: “When does this stop? You can’t grow forever.”
It seems that attitude is finally changing. It took a courageous and famously reluctant businessman, Patagonia’s founder and former owner, Yvon Chouinard, to kick-start a radical re-think of how we do business.
As Conscious Advertising Network co-founder Jake Dubbins told The Drum, the decision is “fucking awesome leadership, unprecedented and a turning point in predatory capitalism. Your turn Zuckerberg.”
I really hope lots of businesses follow.
Drop me a line if you need help telling your sustainability story.
