If I hear “sustainable” one more time… How to Talk About Green Without Sounding Fake

(aka how to make people feel your impact without putting them to sleep)

If you’re building something in climate tech, you’ve probably had this exact moment right before hitting “publish”:

👉 “This kinda sounds like every other green brand out there… Hey, what’s another word for “sustainable?"

Because here’s the thing — sustainable doesn’t mean anything anymore. It used to be a hook. It used to make people stop scrolling. Now it’s just… meh. Everyone says it. Nobody believes it.

And if you’re the kind of founder who actually means it — who has real science, real proof, and real values — it’s even more frustrating, isn’t it? Because you know you’re doing the work, but the moment you say “eco-friendly,” half your audience tunes out -_-

That’s why so many brands are turning to aesthetic storytelling instead — embedding sustainability into the product’s emotional and visual DNA.

How we got here

Not to point fingers, but… Here’s something not many green brands would want to admit: we’ve been scaring people for years.

We live in a world that runs on the crisis of the week — or, more accurately, the crisis of the weak. Every feed, every headline, every campaign tells you that you’re not doing enough, not acting fast enough, not offsetting enough.

It’s exhausting.

At first, fear worked. It got attention. But now? It’s backfired. People are just… numb. They’ve seen too many burning forests and melting glaciers to process another one.

The guilt switch broke.

So now, when you say “let’s be sustainable,” people’s brains translate it to:

“Cool, so I’ll keep sipping from these collapsing paper straws while billionaires fly private. Totally making a difference here.”

That’s the real problem. Not that people don’t care — but that they’ve stopped believing they can do anything that matters.

Which means that for brands, sustainability language doesn’t activate emotion anymore. It just slides right off. That’s why the only way forward is not to guilt people into caring — but to re-enchant them.

To make them feel hopeful, curious, proud, and even a little obsessed again.

The Shift: From Claim to Code

So the good news is that we made it - the climate tech and ethical brands finally stopped being unusual and, you know, something only “crazy hippies would care about”.

Which is great on one hand, but on the other, you might be finding yourself in either a maturing, a crowded or a sceptical market. The first is where “sustainable” is now table stakes, the second - where literally everyone is a superhero, and the last one - where the audience thinks you’re just saying things to sell stuff.

You’re probably anxious, thinking:

“I know my mission matters, but I don’t know how to talk about it anymore.”

I know it might feel like you’ve lost a clear storytelling edge. So let’s discover some ways for you to recode your sustainability through lifestyle, aesthetics, design, or cultural relevance.

Think of:

• Allbirds — you don’t need them to say “eco-friendly shoes.” You just see simplicity, texture, comfort.

• PANGAIA — science, colour, creativity, all wrapped into something you actually want to wear.

• Notpla — their packaging literally disappears. Duh. You don’t need an explanation.

These brands don’t say sustainability. They show it. They make you feel it.

OK, But What Should You Actually Do?

Here’s the part probably nobody told you: communicating sustainability without saying “sustainable” isn’t about language. There’s no “other word”. It’s all about orchestration. Here are a few ideas:

1. Make your product show the story.

Before you write another caption, look at your product. Does it already say what it is visually or physically? If not, start there.

Notpla didn’t write “biodegradable packaging” — they showed it dissolving.

If your climate tech innovation is invisible (say, software or data), find its visible metaphor. Example: show dashboards that track carbon in human, emotional terms (“this saved as much CO₂ as skipping 1200 Uber rides”).

If you’re early-stage and budget is tight — even just one simple GIF or explainer visual can make a world of difference.

2. Don’t call it sustainable — call it something else that sounds like… life.

“Sustainable” has moral baggage. Just… no. If we want to be heard by humans of today, we need to anchor our message in feelings, not categories.

Use language that evokes the experience of sustainability — clean, quiet, light, soft, pure, circular, ongoing, shared, hopeful. PANGAIA calls it “science meets colour.” Allbirds talks about “better things in a better way.”

It’s about life-affirming language, not compliance vocabulary.

3. Turn your sustainability into a sensory experience.

The more emotional layers you create, the less you need to explain.

If you’re digital-first:

• Use motion, texture, and tactility in design.

• Show materiality through photography — not “eco” stock photos, but real surfaces, imperfect edges, honest lighting.

If your product lives IRL:

• Let the packaging, scent, or feel tell the story.

• Make it feel good to hold and good to return — not just good to buy.

Your visual and physical design should whisper sustainability, not yell it.

4. Let your users do the talking.

Gen Z and millennials trust people over brands. Always.

So instead of writing “we’re sustainable,” spotlight your users’ behaviour. Show them repairing, reusing, planting, testing, and contributing. UGC is your best friend now.

Turn the customer journey into a mini documentary. Make your product the tool that helps them express who they already are.

This is why brands like Slow Factory build storytelling loops with their communities — it’s not brand content, it’s shared authorship.

5. Build a brand that feels alive.

Here’s my anxious marketer truth: if your sustainability messaging feels nice and polished, it’s probably dead. I mean it, if you’re looking at it and thinking “this is perfect” - not to stir your pot too much, but it’s probably boring.

Leave space for discovery, uncertainty, humour, contradiction. Admit when things are hard. Tell your audience what it felt like when your great idea failed. So, “perfectly imperfect” is actually what you're looking for.

That’s how you build trust in a sceptical market — through vulnerability, not polish. (by the way - if you’re sceptics are Gen Z - here’s another article on how to talk to them).

So, Where Does That Leave You?

Your sustainability should be felt before it’s understood. If your visual world, tone, and behaviour are coherent, people won’t need proof — they’ll just get it.

That’s what the best brands do. They make you believe before you even realise you’re believing.

And yes, it’s hard. It takes restraint. It takes taste. It takes saying “no” to buzzwords and stock images and “yes” to uncomfortable honesty and hiring some unhinged Gen Z person to do your photography.

But that’s exactly why it works.

TL;DR (because your coffee’s probably cold by now)

If you’re building in climate tech or sustainability:

• Don’t say you’re sustainable. Show it.

• Make it part of your design, your visuals, your tone, your rituals.

Because the word “sustainable” might be dead — but the feeling of care, trust, and humanity?

That’s very much alive.

💬 Final Thoughts

The world doesn’t need more noise. It needs more clarity. You don’t have to be everywhere, do everything, or sound like everyone else. You just have to sound like you — honest, curious, and ready to make a difference.

Marketing isn’t about hype. It’s about helping your idea reach the people who need it most. Let’s build marketing that feels human again. If you’re ready to stop overcomplicating and start focusing on what truly matters, reach out to schedule a free session with me.

We’ll map out a simple 90-day plan that aligns with your purpose — and keeps your sanity intact.

🪶 Disclaimer

Written by a human (hi, that’s me - Elena) — with a little help from ChatGPT to organise my ideas. The thoughts, experiences, and occasional anxious opinions are all mine.