Carbon emissions + telling better sustainability stories
Carbon emissions + telling better sustainability stories
Simple steps your company can take today to make an environmental impact.
I recently discussed a marketing problem with a client: how best should they pitch their eco-friendly slipper and sock products, considering that they are made in China and intended for a predominantly European market? How could they solve the disconnect between the goodness of the materials used (in this case organic, biodegradable hemp) and the product’s origins? My solution wasn’t perfect - unfortunately, I don’t think there are many completely ethical solutions to these types of questions - but it was a start: neutralize your brand’s carbon emissions.
Carbon is one of several greenhouse gases, but has by far the most impact on human-driven climate change. (Source.) A 2016 study found that almost half of all greenhouse emissions come from the production of stuff. Aside from factory emissions created during production, consumer brands also rely heavily on transit between continents: first to move raw materials to factories, then finished products to warehouses and then, eventually, orders to customer’s doorsteps. Each of these steps release greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.
Reducing or neutralizing carbon emissions is a step that every e-comm brand should be taking, but it’s also a smart business move, especially for companies who want to differentiate themselves as sustainable. Paying attention to your company’s carbon footprint allows you to tell better, more thoughtful sourcing stories, which can go a long way towards swaying potential customers in a saturated online marketplace.
Consider Everlane: a detailed factory breakdown page combined with a carbon reduction policy makes their overseas production strategy seem much more palatable than it otherwise would. (Am I particularly impressed that they’re shooting for a 2050 net-zero emissions goal? No I am not! Patagonia has pledged to be carbon-neutral by 2025. But it’s a start, and I’d like to see more brands aiming for this or better.) Allbirds goes a step further, highlighting specific annual initiatives that they support and outlining how they choose their sustainability projects. This level of care might be challenging for smaller, less resourced brands - and Consumer Reports notes that it’s important for brands to choose their carbon-reduction initiatives carefully, since not all are as impactful as they appear. If you don’t have the bandwidth to go that in-depth researching what projects to support, don’t worry - I have vetted nonprofit recommendations below.
So how, practically, can your brand start to reduce its carbon emissions? Let’s break things down by behind-the-scenes impact (supply chain and production) versus customer-facing impact (transit to the final destination):
Supply chain solutions
The majority of a brand’s carbon emissions are generated at the supply chain stage. Luckily, there are several online resources that make it relatively simple to calculate a business’ total emissions so that they can be offset:
Cool Effect is one of the best-ranked nonprofits in terms of transparency, and they offer a business emission calculator onsite that crunches a few metrics to determine the total tons of carbon a business produces.
Carbon Fund is another highly-rated nonprofit that allows users to purchase à la carte carbon credits.
Both nonprofits allow you to choose exactly which projects you’d like to contribute to, if you like. Making a donation to a project located near your brand’s production sites - say, donating to reforesting efforts in the same province in China where a factory is located - is an impactful way to tell a better sourcing story. And, to sweeten the deal, any donations made are tax-deductible as business expenses.
Extra credit:
If you want to go one step further than just offsetting emissions - which we all should, if we want to keep living on this planet - you can dive into the world of insetting, which involves mitigating carbon emissions at the source. Vogue Business has a great beakdown of the concept.
Along similar lines, Reformation has made their Climate Positive Roadmap public-facing and it includes lots of great infographics, like benchmarks to move from carbon neutral to climate positive, where exactly the brand’s emissions are coming from, and more. It’s recommended reading, especially for those in the apparel sphere.
Customer-facing solutions
Luckily, the carbon-emitting step that’s most visible to consumers - shipping product to the final destination - is very easy to take action on. There are lots of apps (compatible with both WooCommerce and Shopify) that allow customers to pay to make their order carbon neutral. This typically adds on about 1-2% of the total order cost. EcoCart is one of the best-rated apps for this on Shopify, and it’s also free to install (which likely adds to its popularity). Climate Friendly Cart has better-integrated design options, but it also comes with a hefty price tag at $399/month. Shopify’s own sustainability app, Planet, unfortunately seems confusing to use and doesn’t make it clear to customers where their money is going. Transparency is important when it comes to sustainability initiatives! Do better, Shopify. (You and Everlane both.)
You could also opt to automatically neutralize your customer’s shipping emissions and lump them into a larger donation, especially if you have a climate project that’s close to the brand’s heart (and marketing story). In that case, make sure you spend some time on a sustainability page letting your customers know exactly what their money is supporting. Check out Ganni’s 2021 Responsibility Report for some seriously gorgeous web-design inspo.
Extra credit:
Safe disposal programs are becoming more popular as a means to combat garment waste. Levi’s offers recycling services for old jeans at their retail stores, and Patagonia has been upcycling old tee-shirts for the past year as the first step in a larger intended take-back initiative. While these types of solutions wouldn’t be suitable for all product categories, it’s worth exploring where possible. Or, take inspiration from brands like Psychic Outlaw, who are building robust product lines using entirely upcycled materials.
Want to learn more? Interested in working together? Get in touch with me here.