One of my eco-resolutions for the year is to communicate with brands regularly about their sustainability (or lack thereof). There is only so much we as individuals can do to combat the climate crisis and corporations have major power to create larger scale change. I have lots of opinions about companies – their products, their packaging, their marketing – but I don’t often voice that opinion directly to them. In this post I’ll go through how I ask brands to be more sustainable and why communication with companies is such a vital part of climate action.
Why ask brands to be more sustainable?
Conscious consumerism will not solve the climate crisis. As much as I make an effort to choose more sustainable options whenever possible, it should not be my responsibility to choose the most sustainable options.
This is one of my favorite ways to look at the climate crisis: when a sink is overflowing, you shouldn’t run for towels to soak up the water on the floor. First you need to turn off the tap. While towels are helpful and necessary, they will not solve the problem at the source.
This same ideology can be applied to companies and their role in the climate crisis: companies have long told us that it’s our job to grab the towels, but they are the ones in control of the tap. They have the ability to make significant sustainable changes that would make individuals’ roles in solving the climate crisis easier, but they are choosing to put all of the burden on us. And you can’t fix an overflowing sink with just towels if the water is still running.
It is time to put the pressure to make sustainable choices back on corporations, who are significantly more responsible for pollution, resource depletion, and waste than individuals are. Unless we communicate with these companies and let them know we expect them to take responsibility for their role in this crisis, nothing will change.
Of course it’s possible nothing will change even if we communicate our demands, but it never hurts to let them know our thoughts.
what to write to brands about
If you’re curious about manufacturing ask: are your factories are safe? Are they audited by third parties? Are the factory workers paid a living wage?
If you’re concerned about sourcing ask: what is the vetting process like for new suppliers? How do you certify that the raw materials are ethically or regeneratively harvested?
If you want more transparency ask: where can I find more information about your sourcing practices or sustainability goals? Can you make information about your ingredient choices and sourcing practices more easily accessible on your website?
If you’re curious about goals ask: do you have any specific goals to reduce your operations’ impact on the environment? How often do you report progress on your goals?
If you want to see a change in packaging ask: have you considered more sustainable materials? Why do you use compostable shipping materials if they are not home compostable? Would you switch from styrofoam peanuts to dissolvable starch-based peanuts?
what to include when you ask brands to be more sustainable
- First address a specific person or department. Do a search on LinkedIn or the company’s website to find someone you could contact directly – a dedicated sustainability email, the director of sustainability, the supply chain director, etc. It is more effective to communicate directly to someone who could give you information and/or create change as opposed to just sending your thoughts to a general customer service email.
- Then talk about your connection to the company. Are you a past customer? Do you currently use their products? Were you considering using their products?
- Be specific about the issue you want to address. Is it the packaging of a specific product? A specific advertisement or claim? The shipping materials from online orders? The way their materials are sourced? Transparency?
- Address how you will respond as a consumer. Will you stop purchasing the product and switch to a competitor if nothing changes? Will you encourage friends to boycott them along with you? Did you decide not to buy the product if you were a first time customer?
- Make your demands clear. Do you want them to change packaging materials? Do you want them to stop greenwashing? Do you want them to be transparent about sourcing? Or make their sustainability goals public?
- And lastly, use your own words!!! Templates are a great starting point, but if tons of people send the exact same email they may get flagged as spam or ignored by the recipient.
template examples
regarding product packaging
I love [your product] but was disappointed to receive it [wrapped in single-use plastic, packaged with styrofoam peanuts, shipped in a compostable package, wrapped in multiple layers of packaging etc.]. As those materials are [difficult to recycle, unable to be composted in home compost, unable to be recycled or reused] have you considered changing to a more sustainable alternative such as paper, cardboard, glass, or dissolvable packing peanuts?
or
I purchased [this product] in [this grocery store, this beauty store, etc.] and though I love [the taste, the results, the product], I am disappointed that is packaged in [single-use plastic]. Have you considered alternatives for packaging, like larger portion sizes or packaging that can be more easily recycled or repurposed?
regarding materials sourcing
I am disappointed to see that you use [palm oil, microplastic beads, etc] in [this] product. As these ingredients/materials are known to [harm the environment, have ethical issues regarding how it’s harvested, etc.], I will not be purchasing this product again unless your formula changes.
or
I am horrified to see that you [use unethically sourced cotton, source water from regions experiencing water insecurity, etc.] in [this] product. I care deeply about [ethical manufacturing, environmental justice, responsible sourcing, etc.] and cannot support companies who perpetuate these issues through their sourcing practices.
I ask that you provide transparency about your sourcing process and materials selection on your website so it is publicly available moving forward.
or
I purchased [this product] in [this grocery store, this beauty store, etc.] and though I love [the taste, the results, the product], I am disappointed that is packaged in [single-use plastic]. Have you considered alternatives for packaging, like larger portion sizes or packaging that can be more easily recycled or repurposed?
regarding sustainability goals
I was considering purchasing [this] product but I cannot find specific information about your company’s sustainability commitments. I see [x claim] on the about page but there are no specific goals with detailed plans or timelines to address these claims. Can you direct me to that information? And if you do not have goals regarding [materials, shipping, packaging, production amounts, etc.] why are you not making that a priority considering the urgency of the climate crisis and the role your company plays in [environmental degradation, pollution, waste]?
This is what I would like to see from you: concrete and specific short-term and long-term goals, the steps you will take to achieve those goals, transparency about progress and updates on a regular basis, and [a specific goal that applies to the company’s impact].
regarding greenwashing
I was horrified to see such blatant greenwashing [on this product packaging, in this advertisement on TV/social media, in your company mission, etc.]. Greenwashing is misleading, unethical, and takes advantage of consumers who genuinely want to reduce their impact on the planet.
Stop using greenwashed claims in your [advertising, marketing, product information] and commit to specific sustainability goals across all of your product lines. If nothing changes I will assume you are integrating sustainability into your marketing as a way to attract new customers instead of out of genuine concern for the planet.
This is what I would like to see from you: concrete and specific short-term and long-term goals, the steps you will take to achieve those goals, transparency about progress and updates on a regular basis, and [a specific goal that applies to the company’s impact].
signs of greenwashing to look out for
- vague claims like “we design with the planet in mind”, “green”, or “natural”
- no specific information about sourcing, packaging, or long-term goals
- sustainable collections that are a fraction the company’s total products
- emphasizing one sustainable aspect of a product when the rest of it or the business model in general is harmful
- learn more about spotting greenwashing here