October 23, 2025
Beyond the Label: A Brand's Guide to Effective Sustainability Communication
Listen to the Audio Deep Dive
.webp)
.webp)
So your company switched to organic cotton. Invested in eco-friendly packaging. Spent months auditing suppliers. You're putting real effort into running a responsible business. But are buyers noticing? Do rating platforms see what you're doing?
It seems like it's time to talk about effective communication so your buyers can easily see these activities. Sustainability communication means transforming your work into clear stories that resonate with conscious shoppers.
So what exactly is communicating sustainability? Many companies think slapping "eco-friendly" on a label does the job. Spoiler alert - it doesn't.
Real communicating sustainability is about having honest conversations with everyone who cares about your business - customers, investors, employees, the works. You're sharing actual numbers through multiple communication channels, not marketing fluff. The key is sharing clear policies instead of vague sustainability claims and real stories about what drives your company to create a better environment. It's where communication and sustainability meet to build genuine trust in a world where people have heard way too many empty sustainability claims. Effective sustainability communications are your best defense against contributing to widespread greenwashing awareness.
We dug into this issue in our research piece, "Behind the Hype: Australian fashion brands' sustainability check," and found something pretty eye-opening. Several big-name brands were getting terrible ratings - some even earned "We Avoid" labels - not because they were doing terrible things, but simply because they weren't sharing information publicly.
When brands stay silent about their sustainability work, buyers and rating agencies are forced to assume the worst. This leads to poor ratings and fuels skepticism about "greenwashing." In a world where buyer trust is already undermined by empty promises, silence becomes a real threat to reputation and sales.
This silence hits where it hurts - your bottom line. Zalando's recent report, "It takes many," dropped some sobering statistics: 27% of shoppers can't figure out which items are actually sustainable, and 19% straight-up don't believe company sustainability claims. This trust deficit - which stems directly from poor sustainability communication - isn't just a PR headache. It's a real business problem.
For today's companies, building a cohesive sustainability communications strategy has moved from "nice to have" to essential for modern business strategies. This means weaving your sustainability goals, activities, and impact data a central focus of your company story and its vision for the future. This goes beyond publishing one annual reporting document or sustainability report and forgetting about it.
Your sustainability messages must be consistent everywhere - website, social media, customer communications channels. Your audience and stakeholders should hear the same commitment to responsible practices wherever they encounter your brand. Nail this communication strategy approach, and you build the credibility that gives you a real competitive edge.
So how do you close this gap? By giving rating agencies and conscious shoppers exactly what they're looking for. Your sustainability communications need to be built on one foundation: complete transparency. Here's a practical checklist that covers the three main areas used to assess brands - it'll help you communicate your work in ways that actually matter.
Skip the vague "we use eco-friendly materials" sustainability claims. Get specific. When it comes to sustainability communication, data is your best friend.
Ethical manufacturing sits at the heart of sustainable development. Your audience wants proof that the people making your garments are treated with respect and paid fairly.
Animal welfare matters to your buyers - they want transparency, not marketing spin. Here's what actually works: develop a public animal welfare policy that spells out exactly where you stand on fur, exotic skins, angora, and mulesing practices. Working with wool or leather? List your certifications from Responsible Wool Standard or Leather Working Group - these aren't just nice-to-have badges, they're proof of ethical sourcing. Got cruelty-free products? Say so clearly, along with any supporting certifications that back up those sustainability claims.
Your communication efforts shouldn't stop at information alone - how you tell your story matters. Facts establish credibility, but narratives build connections. Moving beyond standard corporate reporting means building real relationships with your audience. Establish a cozy space on your website where users have the ability to find all the necessary proof of your sustainability in an understandable, human form. Use this space to connect your concrete achievements to your company's broader mission. Feature stories about the people in your supply chain - the artisans, innovators, and communities you work with. These human elements make your sustainability work memorable and relatable.
Don't aim for perfection in your messaging. Brands that acknowledge ongoing challenges and improvement areas often build stronger trust than those claiming to have solved everything. Showing your journey builds authenticity that resonates with shoppers.
The benefits of all this transparency work pay off commercially. Brands providing detailed sustainability information earn better ratings on platforms like Good On You, which leads to featured placement on discovery platforms like Aloto.
Your transparent sustainability story doesn't just inform; it can truly inspire action. Shoppers feel good supporting brands that align with their values, forming shared purpose for sustainable development. This positive cycle is essential for continued progress.
Strong communication strategy and clear sustainability messages also attract talented employees, ethical investors, and new clients, establishing your organization's position among responsible business organisations. This leadership helps raise awareness across the industry and contributes to better business strategies world-wide.
Here's the thing - we know the efforts you're already putting in to build something meaningful. The focus of this whole approach to communicating sustainability comes from real-world case studies and stakeholder research - it's about making your authentic story reach the people who actually care about these issues.
When you put together a solid communication plan that spans multiple channels, you're doing something bigger than chasing ratings. You're building genuine connections with buyers who share your values while pushing the entire industry toward better practices that contribute to real sustainable development.
YYour work deserves to be seen. Take an honest look at how you're currently talking about your sustainability activities - our checklist, backed by research from successful organisations, gives you a practical starting point. Ready to connect with conscious shoppers? Platforms like Aloto can amplify your sustainability claims across all forms of media and help you reach people who actively seek out responsible brands.
Discover how Aloto can help buyers find your responsibly made fashion today.
