How To Boost Your Brand’s Eco-Friendly Image

Becoming a truly eco-friendly brand isn’t easy—but for the sake of the planet and each of us on it, it’s worth it.

Many businesses use social and traditional media simply to talk the language of environmental consciousness, without practicing ways that allow them to walk a path toward greater sustainability. In the end, those efforts are all noise and no substance.

Of course, the best and most ethical way to promote yourself as an eco-friendly brand is to actually become one—and we, at Paptic, can offer tips and resources that may help reduce your company’s carbon footprint while possibly increasing customer satisfaction at the same time. Let’s get to it!

WHAT DO CONSUMERS REALLY WANT?

Participants in a recent consumer study told us they want to use and choose sustainable materials over plastics when shopping. This is huge, and if you’re serious about your brand, you should take this finding seriously.

But don’t stop there. Moving forward on a path toward greater sustainability means analyzing the environmental impact of your company, your suppliers, and the packaging you both use.

PACKAGING IS A MUST FOR MOST – CHANGE IT!

Once your study is complete, you’ll likely notice that the easiest place to start and one of the best ways to give visibility to your green efforts is by replacing bags and packaging with more sustainable options. Our advice is to embrace that change!

Paper or plastic is the standby choice of retail brands for carrier bags and packaging materials, but it no longer has to be the only choice. Our study shows that consumers appreciate brands that provide alternatives, especially to plastic.

Of course the bag tells something about the brand, about the big picture. About what they want to say about their values. That’s why material choices are important

Woman, 52 years

Whether your business product is shoes, spoons, or something else, consider replacing plastic carrier bags with paper—or better yet, follow in the footsteps of brands like Seppälä who was the first ever to use recyclable, renewable, and reusable Paptic bags.

Not quite paper and not quite plastic, they’re made in paper mills from wood fibre, making them much more eco-friendly than plastic, twice as durable as paper—and an affordable option for brands that don’t want to sacrifice either quality or sustainability.

DON’T STAY ALONE WITH YOUR EFFORTS

Choosing reusable and sustainable bags and packaging is an environmental advantage for both businesses and consumers. It’s also the perfect stepping stone for each to continue making better choices.

Use marketing content to keep customers involved in your sustainability efforts by offering rewards or incentives. For example, offer a 10 percent discount to anyone who reuses a bag from a past purchase or who brings an alternative to plastic bags.

Ask them to recycle your packaging materials.

Inform them of why you do business the way you do by hosting an annual environmental fair, where you plant a tree or collect recyclable materials. These types of events get the community involved in public improvement efforts while you become a local hero doing a good deed.

You can also partner with other companies to create environmentally friendly events or work together to reduce your collective energy output.

Whatever you decide to do, don’t forget to document it on social platforms along the way!

IN CONCLUSION

These are just some starting points when trying to establish your company as an environmentally conscious brand. We would be interested in hearing if you have you tried other tactics.