Sustainability has become the dominating buzzword echoing beyond specific industries, audiences, and countries, leading to more and more eco-friendly brands. When you consider the reason for its prolific spread, the rise of sustainable brands follows the trend of people wanting to see themselves in the brands with which they interact. Employees and consumers alike want their values to align with brands.
With regards to company culture, 63% of employees are more motivated at companies with clearly defined and communicated values compared to the 31% at other companies. Morale was found to be 55% higher in companies with a strong program on sustainability, which then leads to a stronger team with less likelihood for turnover. On the consumer’s side, 94% of Gen Z consumers expect brands to have a say in social issues, and 90% of them would make a purchase with a clear benefit to society. With brands selling values beyond just products and services, sustainability has become a significant value add.
But with the sheer number of supposedly sustainable brands, how do you differentiate from greenwashing and really walking the walk? While most people have some idea of how to make consumer products more sustainable, the tech industry presents more of a mystery. In the tech industry, what factors are relevant to be considered sustainable? And how do tech eco-friendly brands show customers that they are really walking the walk? Here’s how to brand effectively, and some design elements you might employ as a truly green company.
What it Means
For consumer products and services, this means considering whether the packaging is compostable or at the very least recyclable, and if the product can be reused or repurposed. Are you making strides to use plant-based materials to create its products and services? Are you reducing polluting substances and greenhouse gas emissions by using renewable energy instead? What about low-impact manufacturing, multi-functionality, and energy efficiency? Reflecting on all these elements thoroughly will help you communicate your sustainable stance clearly to the consumer.
How it Supports Business
Sustainability boasts both short-term and long-term effects that benefits eco-friendly brands, and makes it, well, more sustainable for the future. Financially, sustainable brands reduce energy costs and waste to save money, not to mention the numerous laws going into effect. Effectively branding as a sustainable company means you elevate your brand as a whole. This means attracting and retaining consumers and employees, making your brand more desirable in the long run.
Sustainability in the Tech Industry
For big corporations, having an easily accessible Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) report speaks volumes to consumers with regards to sustainability. To take it a step further, having a B Corp Certification signifies to your consumers that you have taken steps to consider these ESG factors. Here are the actions you can take to make your brand more sustainable:
Tackling Your Energy Sources: Because data centers account for an estimated 3.2% of the world’s carbon emissions, scrutinizing the physical databases for cloud storage and softwares is a good place to start. Taking steps to transition a greener energy source for these data centers will support your goals as a sustainable brand. You can also avoid using unnecessary energy to cool these centers, with an optimal computer operating temperature of around 72°F/22°C. You can also mind data storage sizes, such as setting limits on inactive accounts, server utilization, image and video sizes and uploads, and more. Being thoughtful about data storage can also help lower costs and waste production while supporting your site, app, or platform to be more efficient and high-performing.
Thinking About the Big Picture: While it’s great to consider the energy sources, you can make a more significant impact by considering the entire process. Making sure that the entirety of the chain supply is keeping up with these standards will help maintain sustainability from all direct and indirect sources.
Being Picky With Hardware: Although much of the tech industry feels intangible, don’t forget about the makeup of your hardware. The tech industry faces a dilemma: while the need and method for acquiring rare-earth elements cause a slew of negative effects (erosion, sinkholes, and contamination to name a few), they are essential to produce electronic hardware. Reclaiming and reusing rare earth metals in products, and being choosy about your mining supplier is a good way to grapple with this difficulty.
Making Easy Changes: Using motion-detecting lights to avoid light pollution helps support the animals in your ecosystem. The use of automated technology like lights or automated power for devices are an easy way to conserve energy. Composting and recycling is a must, and donating unneeded furniture are all small changes that lead to big impact.
How to Elevate Sustainable Brands With Design
So you’ve done your research and ensured you’ve really taken steps to be environmentally friendly. Now comes the fun part: thinking about design factors that support your sustainable stance. Rather than going the overused, monochromatic green route, you can creatively support your sustainable branding by emphasizing your sustainable decisions with design. Here are some of our favorite examples of brands that made a statement while avoiding the cliches: 4 Environmentally Friendly Brands to Follow this Earth Day.
The Big Picture
Above anything else, eco-friendly brands are on the rise because the severity of climate change affects, and will continue to affect us in the future. Thinking about what companies in all industries can do will be crucial to bringing about change. Consumers are increasingly investing smartly in companies whose values align with theirs, and investing in this crucial issue will not only support your business, but also the planet.
Anastasia Salazar Ltd. is an independent design studio for tailored branding and digital designs. Reach out to learn how we can help you fuel growth and maximize your brand’s impact.