Eco-Friendly Rebranding Strategies for Businesses

Rebranding takes a lot of time, money, and resources. That said, it can also be vital to the success of your company, especially when it involves a sustainable rebrand.

Going green has long surpassed being a fad and is now a necessity for brands that want to stay ahead of future environmental, social, and governance (ESG) regulations and retain a loyal customer base.

With the looming threat of climate change, governments are aiming to start enforcing regulations on businesses to lower emissions. Customers as well are demanding more from brands, asking for more sustainable products and practices that are better for them and the environment.

78% of consumers report that sustainability is important to them and 60% say they would be willing to pay more for sustainable products.

Additionally, a joint study by McKinsey and NielsenIQ shows that companies making ESG claims about their products have experienced 28% cumulative growth on average over the past five years.

What this points to is an overall shift toward sustainability and the need for more eco-friendly brands and products.

As such, a rebrand can help your company embrace these new demands and reflect your commitment to the cause, ensuring the future success of your business

What is Eco-Friendly Branding?

What sets an eco-friendly brand apart is that they aren’t simply using visuals and surface-level practices to convey an eco-friendly image.

An eco-friendly brand is one that fully embodies sustainability by weaving sustainable practices into everything they do, from marketing strategies and company culture to supply chain processes.

When going green first became a trend, many brands jumped on this trend by simply adopting a more eco-friendly image without actually adopting sustainable practices, which is called greenwashing.

However, as consumers have become more discerning and information is more readily available and accessible, brands realized that they couldn’t just walk the walk, they also had to start talking the talk to back up their claims of being a green brand.

This is why we are now seeing a growing trend of eco-friendly brands that are genuinely doing their part to become a sustainable business and reduce their environmental impact. Transparency is the key.

Eco-friendly branding isn’t just using the color green and claiming to be organic, it is a genuine commitment to adopt and promote sustainable practices that have a more positive impact on consumers and the planet. It’s also about being open and transparent about those practices.

Additionally, brands don’t just have a responsibility to help protect the environment, they also have a social responsibility.

This means following fair labor practices and ethically sourcing raw materials so as not to harm other cultures.

This is where the use of the term ESG comes from. A truly eco-friendly company is one that is mindful of its environmental and societal impact by governing itself through certain rules and best practices.

How to Future-Proof Your Business With an Eco-Friendly Rebranding Strategy

Future-proofing your business is about preparing for the changes and challenges that lie ahead.

In this case, it’s about rebranding to become a more eco-friendly business to address climate change and mitigate negative societal impacts.

Sustainability is the first part of future-proofing but it’s also about innovation and becoming a more adaptive and agile brand.

This means:

• Updating your brand image and messaging
• Using technologies to streamline and make your operations more efficient
• Reevaluating your marketing engagement strategy
• Adopting eco-friendly and socially responsible practices

All of which we’ll address in the strategy below.

1. Assess The Current Footprint of Your Brand

First, it’s necessary to audit your current situation to determine what needs to change for you to become a more eco-friendly brand.

This means evaluating current processes to determine where you can do better in terms of mitigating waste and reducing your energy consumption.

You’ll also want to take a closer look at your brand messaging and visuals to identify where you can integrate more eco-friendly messaging.

2. Redefine Your Branding Strategy

Next, you’ll need to redefine your branding strategy by creating a new set of goals and objectives.

This will give you something to aim for to help your company stay on track and ensure everything you do is in alignment with those goals.

Some examples could include aiming to reduce your carbon footprint by a certain percentage in five years or growing your customer base to include a wider audience of eco-conscious consumers.

3. Document and Publicize Your Sustainability Journey

It takes a lot to make products more eco-friendly: your company has to source biodegradable and/or recycled materials, cut down on production emissions, prioritize local suppliers, and support ecosystems — the list is quite extensive.

Luckily, this uphill battle is also a branding goldmine, as you can document the entire process.

Nothing helps a brand stand out better than a good story with an emotional heft that humanizes your company and gives the public something to love.

Create videos, images, blog posts, social posts, podcasts, press releases, and ads that tell the story of your quest for sustainability.

This content should be distinct from marketing content, in that you’re not trying to sell your product’s benefits.

Rather, you’re showcasing the people, commitment, efforts, and emotions that go into creating an eco-friendly product. The very real and admirable aspects of going green will come to define your brand.

Along the way, your company should consider partnering with organizations committed to making a difference and fighting climate change.

Include these partnerships in your story. Most importantly, put people at the forefront: their faces, words, and actions.

4. Give Your Visual Identity and Messaging a Green Makeover

A major part of your rebrand is going to be how you update your messaging and visuals when marketing your brand to consumers.

Think about how you can use visuals and content to tell a story that conveys your new commitment to sustainability.

This can include your actual brand logo, your slogans, the imagery and copy on your website, and the images and messaging you use on social media and in your ads. Updating your email marketing content is also very important.

A lot of brands are prioritizing social media these days, but email marketing is still an important and effective tool when it comes to growing your subscriber base and showing them your commitment to being an eco-friendly brand.

If your marketing team needs a refresher, there are plenty of email marketing courses available today that can offer insight into modern email marketing practices and how to rebrand your email marketing to fit your new brand identity.

This can include tips for crafting compelling email messaging by highlighting sustainability initiatives, designing more eco-friendly-themed email visuals, and segmenting email lists to target environmentally-conscious consumers.

5. Upgrade Your Product and Packaging Design

Your products themselves also need to become more sustainable. For example, consider how you can make your products more durable so they last longer and produce less waste.

This also includes using more sustainable packaging materials, such as materials that are recyclable, and using as little plastic as possible.

6. Invest in More Sustainable Marketing Materials

If you use physical marketing materials, such as posters, pamphlets, flyers, cardstock, and more, you’ll also want to update these.

Printing and paper materials traditionally use harmful chemicals and produce a lot of waste. Try using eco-friendly printer inks instead and using more recyclable and eco-friendly materials, such as bamboo and recycled cardboard.

7. Reduce Waste and Promote Sustainability Initiatives

As part of your rebrand, it’s also important to update your internal practices to reflect your commitment to sustainability.

Adopting digital technologies and tools that help you automate your processes and run more efficiently, for example, is crucial as it helps you reduce waste and energy consumption.

You can also upgrade to energy-efficient devices and lighting, implement a recycling policy, use more sustainable office products such as reusable coffee cups, and eliminate single-use plastics.

Consider fostering a sustainable brand culture amongst your employees as well, such as by encouraging them to take public transportation or ride their bikes to work.

8. Update or Create a Social Responsibility Policy

Social responsibility is another key element of ethical and sustainable rebranding. This means taking the well-being of people and communities into account.

This can include a commitment to local sourcing and production, fair trade practices, and upholding fair labor standards.

Your company can also show its commitment to social responsibility by participating in community initiatives and events that support and promote sustainability.

Wrapping Up

As part of your rebranding strategy, remember that it’s not only about changing what your company does but also about educating and inspiring others. Pay it forward. This shows your commitment to furthering the cause and spreading awareness.

On a final note, as rebranding is a major undertaking, it’s important to track and measure the effectiveness of your strategy to ensure your investment isn’t wasted.

Using analytics tools can help you gain helpful insights into the success of your strategy or if you need to make any adjustments to get back on track.

Continuous improvement and aiming always to do better is an important part of becoming an eco-friendly brand.