The challenge is great. 52% of consumers often find promises about a product’s sustainability implausible, according to research by MarketResponse, b-open and IVRM Reputation among a thousand Dutch people. At the same time, 90% of consumers expect companies to communicate about sustainability. This tension makes sustainability communication one of the most complex disciplines within marketing.
The problem is deeper than just finding the right words. It’s about building trust at a time when consumers have become suspicious because of years of greenwashing. 67% believe companies ‘ sustainability policies are generally unclear, indicating fundamental communication problems.
The question is not whether to communicate about sustainability, but how to do so in a way that comes across as credible and has real impact.
1. Understand the psychology of sustainable choices
Consumers make emotional decisions and rationalize them after the fact. This also applies to sustainable choices. Research shows that only 5% of purchasing decisions are primarily driven by eco-motives, while 95% revolve around personal benefits such as cost savings, quality or status.
Bosch understands this and promotes their refurbished appliances not as “save the planet,” but with “all-round service from delivery to installation” and “A-brand quality at fixed price.” Sustainability only comes next as a welcome bonus.
This approach works because it aligns with how people actually make decisions. They want to know what they gain before they care about the planet.
2. Replace empty words with concrete benefits
“Sustainable,” “green” and “environmentally friendly” are eroded terms. These words now evoke more skepticism than confidence among consumers. The solution lies in translating abstract concepts into concrete benefits that people understand immediately.
Instead of “sustainable,” you can talk about “cleaner,” “safer” or “more economical.” Tony’s Chocolonely, for example, very nicely uses “slave-free chocolate” instead of “ethically produced” because it is concrete and understandable. Burger King promotes their Impossible Whopper as “100% Whopper, 0% beef” and thus speaks the language of their target audience.
The trick is to communicate the benefits of sustainability without using the word itself. Show, but don’t tell.
3. Choose inspiration over pure information
Consumers are inundated with sustainability facts and figures, but they are counterproductive. Consumers do want companies to show what they are doing, but are far from always interested in that information themselves.
The balance is 80% inspiration and 20% information. For example, Panasonic created an interactive “Climate Action Game” that playfully lets people experience how their company is addressing climate change, rather than sharing dry CO2 figures.
Stories of impact on real people, visually appealing content and community-building around shared values work better than technical specifications. Save the concrete numbers for those interested on your website.
4. Be honest about your limitations
Transparency is crucial for credibility, but total openness can also backfire. The “Good, Bad, Promising” framework helps you be honest without undermining yourself.
Communicate what you do well (concrete results), acknowledge where you’re not yet perfect (challenges in your industry), and share your future plans (concrete goals with timelines). Ace & Tate’s “Look, we f*cked up” campaign was appreciated by consumers because it was honest about imperfections while showing concrete improvement steps.
This “brutal honesty” builds more trust than polished PR talk. Precisely because it is human and recognizable when things go wrong.
5. Make sustainability part of your core business
Stop using generic sustainability stories. The strongest communication comes from your unique brand identity and core business. ESPERO, which makes exercise systems, positions sustainability as “Creating space for all” and connects their core business to their sustainability mission.
Instead of saying “we are sustainable,” communicate “this is what you get from us, relevant from our unique role.” This makes your story authentic and distinctive because it cannot be said by every other company.
6. Use social proof strategically
60% of consumers worldwide expect companies to take positions on social issues, but trust comes primarily from social proof, not from their own claims.
Effective forms are customer stories about sustainable products, endorsements from experts and NGOs, and third-party certifications such as B-Corp or ISO standards. Fairphone, for example, uses customer stories, expert reviews and certifications very extensively. Their communications let customers tell the story rather than just claiming for themselves how sustainable they are.
This works because people trust what others say more than what companies claim about themselves.
7. Avoid the biggest greenwashing pitfalls
The Consumer & Market Authority has clear principles for sustainability communications: claims must be accurate, clear, specific and complete, substantiated with facts and kept current.
The biggest pitfalls are vague claims without evidence, selective truth where you only emphasize positive aspects, and claims that are irrelevant to your industry. DHL and PostNL had to adjust their claims after investigation by the ACM because they were too general and misleading.
A simple test: can you back up your claim with concrete data and external verification? If not, you run the risk of greenwashing accusations.
8. Measure impact and communicate progress transparently
Above all, consumers expect sustainability promises to be fact-based and verified by an independent party. This requires a systematic approach to impact measurement and communication.
Establish a baseline, track progress with quarterly updates, lay open your methodology and share future commitments. Patagonia’s “Footprint Chronicles” lets customers track the exact supply chain and impact of individual products, from material sourcing to transportation.
This transparency builds trust because it shows that you are serious about your impact and willing to hold yourself accountable.
The future of sustainability communication
Sustainability is a critical factor in purchasing decisions for 64% of consumers, and this percentage is only growing. At the same time, consumers are becoming more critical and better informed. 27% of the younger generation is abandoning products because of implausible sustainability communications.
The organizations that are successful in sustainability communication understand that it is not about perfection, but authenticity. They communicate their journey rather than their destination, and focus on relevant impact rather than blanket claims. This approach is becoming increasingly important as lawmakers worldwide consider stricter requirements for environmental claims (such as the Green Claims Directive)
This requires a different mindset: from marketing to storytelling, from claiming to proving, and from convincing to inspiring. The consumers of 2025 want partners in sustainability, not sellers of green dreams.