Talking About Revolution

I've become slightly obsessed with how brands communicate sustainability initiatives.

The world's on fire, and we're still buying shoes (as Alec Leach brilliantly puts it - read his book). Yet our approach to sustainability communication feels stuck between goblincore inducing doom-scrolling and corporate buzzwords. While shock tactics emulating PETA's campaign playbook certainly get attention, they're about as effective at creating change as trying to put out that fire with a strongly worded email.

Sustainability-oriented fashion brands’ advertising often feels like trying to get people excited about an event by showing them pictures of the cleanup afterwards.

Meanwhile, ultra-fast fashion brands are sharing brat-coded shots of the afters at 2am, complete with Boiler Room set lists and making BFF’s in the bathroom queues. Are we really surprised when customers keep choosing the party? When the intent-to-action gap persists? It’s more than an innocent ‘oopsie, we’re missing the mark’, we’re at the point of actively pushing people into the very behaviors we want to change.

We're all stuck in this weird hypertension paralysis where sustainability feels like a chore rather than a chance.

And nobody's ever been inspired to change by being lectured about their life choices.

Here's where it gets interesting.

Humans are hardwired for stories - we retain information twice as well when it's wrapped in narrative versus pure data. When we share stories that tap into universal experiences - hope, ambition, belonging - we have the chance to transform sustainability from an abstract concept into something personal and actionable.

Look at brands like GANNI, Dove and IKEA. They've moved beyond functional product messaging to create sticky narratives that actually resonate and as such are memorable without much prompting. Just the word Dove is enough to conjure up an image of self-confident, beaming women in our collective imagination.

They’re not scolding us about our carbon footprint or meat consumption, nor pretending to be the most perfectly sustainable brand in existence (doesn’t exist) but inviting us to join a movement that's actually going somewhere through the everyday purchasing decision of this brand instead of that one. Now imagine applying this to ALL purpose-led brands.

“We don’t identify as a sustainable brand, because at its core fashion thrives on newness and consumption, which is a major contradiction to the concept of sustainability.” – Julie Verdich, GANNI Material Innovation Lead

How to change things?

When we humanize sustainability through storytelling, something shifts. We can drive genuine transformation.

Ever the child of a Blue Peter household, here’s something I made earlier:

So yes, we need to move past positioning sustainability as either a moral obligation or a greenwashing compliance checklist. We need to showcase sustainability initiatives as the most exciting path forward. Enough of the shock tactics. They might generate quick reactions, but it is thoughtful, emotionally resonant storytelling that builds actualmomentum for change.

Because yes, the world might be on fire, but shouting about it isn't helping. Let's teach each other how to put it out.