Think about the attributes that great brands share—passion, purpose and clarity. They’re distinctive, interesting and engaging. Then think of sustainability. Ugh. Even the word rings wrong. It’s leaden, virtuous, earnest, wonky, dense, dorky. A literary liability—in the US, anyway. In the UK and in other places, sustainability is bouncier, younger and actually speaks to people, not at them.
The question is how to sex up sustainability so the “s” word sounds less stale.
AVOID IT: The word, that is. Because the concept is so squishy, few people are entirely sure what sustainability actually means. For the most part, you’re better to talk about the issues that fall under this awkward and ungainly category— climate change or biodiversity loss or worker rights. Then, get granular. Or—depending on your audience—you may want to wear it loud and proud because there’s no simple, single-word substitute. It’s a lumpy concept, which is why talking about it is so tricky.
SPIT IT OUT: Because it’s so complex, the very word sustainability seems to give people a license to be grammatically challenged if not entirely incoherent. Here, at random, are a couple of sentences pulled from the websites of leading sustainability organizations. No wonder the public can’t get its head—much less heart— around sustainability.
[OUR ORGANIZATION] enables the success of better brands by providing direction to key trends and emerging best practices, as well delivers tools and resources to support the implementation of transformational programs within companies.
[OUR ORGANIZATION’S ROLE] is to catalyze change within business by integrating sustainability into strategy and operations, and to promote collaboration among companies and their stakeholders for systemic progress toward a just and sustainable world.
Say what? When you’re talking about sustainability or climate change, or pollution or economic inequity, knotty language doesn’t sound smart—it’s just bad for the brand.
GET OUT OF YOUR HEAD: The right side of it, anyway. Even the most creative innovators go cerebral when it comes to describing how they’re making their mark and improving the [FILL IN THE BLANK]. The trick is to change hearts. If you’re doing something good—like working to remove micro-plastics from fish gills—make it feel good to your audience—give them something to celebrate and aspire to by creating emotional resonance.
SOUNDING TOO GOOD IS BAD. Nobody likes a brown nose. I’m not suggesting you lighten up the topic of sustainability to trivialize it but to liven it up. The idea is not to make good work sound bad, but edgy can be good and in the case of sustainability, refreshing. While ads promoting diversity and gun control tug at the heartstrings, as a rule, copy that talks about sustainability sounds hopped on virtue and piousness. That’s because organizations still seem to think they need to tediously sustainability-explain, which like mansplaining, is so not good that it’s bad.
Bottom line, when it comes to sustainability branding, as Bob Marley sang, liven up yourself and don’t be no drag.