Wren | Actions
Advocacy
Impact
Small impact
Cost
Free
time
;;
Immediate
Consumer pressure is one of the main drivers of sustainability at companies. While many companies have some sustainability plans in place, some struggle to actually reach their goals because of a lack of internal buy-in or external pressure to motivate change.
This is where we come in. Though each one of us is a single voice, each of our purchases drives a company’s bottom line and can help motivate faster or more ambitious implementation of sustainability initiatives.
Think of a few of your favorite brands and check out some of their sustainability plans.
Typically, this will show up under a sustainability subpage on their site or as a “CSR” or “ESG” report. Give it a skim, and do your best to spot areas where you think they could be doing more, whether with a brand new goal or program or by providing more transparency into their existing ones.
Depending on the company, different initiatives will make more or less sense. Here are some ideas:
For fashion or electronics companies, repair or trade in programs are great ways to continue to drive revenue while helping build a more circular economy.
For cosmetics and personal care brands, refillable products and reduced packaging can minimize waste while still guaranteeing sales of the same amount of product.
For many companies, printing instructions on their packaging for how to properly handle disposal is an easy win.
Here’s an example of a message you can send as a DM or to a customer support email:
“I’ve been a longtime supporter of [brand]. Last year, I spent around [amount] on your products! As I look towards reducing my own environmental impact and evaluating the products I buy, I’d love to see you do even more in your sustainability program. I saw that [xyz, another brand] offers a repair program. Do you have any plans to offer something similar in the future? If not, I’d like to learn more about how you’re prioritizing waste and circularity in your overall sustainability plan.”
It’s okay if you don’t feel like an expert about corporate sustainability.
In fact, not being an expert can be an asset when it comes to helping brands spot places where their marketing and sustainability language is too vague to be credible. Asking for more transparency and details into aspects of a company’s sustainability efforts is always valid, and can help steer brands away from unintentional (or intentional) greenwashing.
The idea is just to start a conversation and remind brands that people are tracking their progress.