With social media playing a big role in shaping consumer behaviours, brands have to constantly communicate their key benefits and values to stand out. However in the recent years, consumers are being bombarded with sustainability claims and buzzwords making the word "sustainable" overused and overrated.

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As a social media partner of conscious brands, we work closely with businesses that care for the planet and the people. We've seen how the industry has shifted in the last five years — from getting curious looks after throwing in the words "green", "eco-friendly", and "sustainable" to seeing it in almost every marketing collateral.

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Sustainability has taken a big leap in Singapore with major lifestyle media publications such as Honeycombers, Harper's Bazaar, and Time Out citing different sustainable brands to support but a big problem remains: How can conscious and sustainable brands communicate their values in an industry inundated with buzzwords without sounding preachy?

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Shift in Sustainability Communications

Around three years ago, using key terms such as "eco-friendly" and "green" were enough to capture people's interest and encourage them to try products that were better for the planet and its people. However, with the growing sentiment, there was also a growing need for brands to embrace sustainability whether it's through their marketing messaging, by optimising their operations, or both. The conscious consumers who are more mindful of their purchases practice due diligence and research the brands before purchasing. For the other consumers, seeing these buzzwords was enough to either convince them or put them off.

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This industry shift led to the commercialisation of "sustainability". It was no longer a "good to have" but a need. More and more brands have claimed they were taking strides toward sustainability whilst others resorted to greenwashing. With mainstream brands making their own stakes in sustainability, how can the true sustainable brands stand out and survive the competition?

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Sustainability-Inspired, Market-Focused Communications

Recognising that only 9.7% consumers will pay a sustainability premium (Source: PwC 2024 Voice of the Consumer Survey), we have optimised our client's social media strategies based on four things: brand story, USP, sustainability claims, and consumer behaviour.

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With our extensive knowledge of the sustainability industry from a marketing background and our expertise in understanding the customer psychology especially in terms of purchasing and social media habits, we have optimised our sustainability communications in a way that is more palatable and relevant to a wider audience, both conscious and non-conscious consumers alike.

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1 - Sustainability through product design

Weaving in sustainability as early as a product's research and development is the most ideal scenario for brands. For the most part, opting for more sustainable raw materials are cost-effective in the long-run. From a consumer's perspective, it's more value for money too if they consider the number of uses they get from each item.

For Sunday Bedding, a responsible linen brand, sustainability is embedded into every part of their operations and marketing. To effectively communicate its sustainable values to the Singaporean market, we focus on communicating the durability of their products by highlighting the rigourous quality control process they implement. After all, when buying sheets, consumers opt for products that stand the test of time as compared to buying clothes which is a bit more personality, style, and trend-driven. Apart from durability, we also highlight the construction of each product, ensuring that we address the common concerns of their target market and how weaving in sustainability into their production solves the problem.

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2 - Sustainability through versatility and personal preferences

When it comes to fashion, there is not denying that beyond sustainability and durability, the concepts of personal style, versatility, and aesthetics take centre stage. Fashion, after all, is a reflection of our personality. Recognising this consumer mindset means we focus on addressing these key factors that affect the consumers' purchasing behaviours. For Elizabeth Little, a slow fashion brand creating beautiful ethical heirlooms using Liberty fabrics, we focused our strategy towards creating content that showcases the beautiful prints in real life by real people, encouraging the consumers to see themselves wearing the pieces themselves. Taking thing approach allows consumers to make more informed decisions which, in turn, allows them to make better, more considered purchases. Additionally, we are set to showcase more of their pieces worn by different generations to reinforce the idea that clothes can be passed on in as much as stories are carried forward from generations to generations.

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Through strong creative direction and compelling video editing, we also aimed to address the gap in sustainable fashion styles in Singapore. In this Rock Daisy founder feature on ZERRIN, we used the brand's edgy personality to cater to an audience with a more utilitarian style that are looking for more sustainable options.

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3 - Sustainability through community and storytelling

With brands like The Social Space, community is at the heart of what they do. Even though they retail a lot of fair trade brands that do good for the planet, their audience care about the people the most, whether it's their staff, founders, or their customers. Armed with this knowledge, we ensure that community-focused content takes up a lot of their feed. We routinely feature people behind the brands to showcase their stories. By using community and compelling storytelling, we are able to make a connection with the audience through emotions and empathy.

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There are only a few ways in which we communicate sustainability on social media. Beyond the use of buzzwords, the most compelling sustainability-focused social media content aren't the ones that "tell", but rather the ones that connect.

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If you are a conscious or sustainable brand looking for a social media partner that shares the same values, passion, and vision, get in touch to find out how we can support you in 2025. E-mail us at hello@beige.social.