**Editor’s note: The links contained in this article are not affiliate links — no money to be made over here! They are simply just cool, sustainable resources we found and wanted to pass along.
Marketing in 2025 is tough…
… but marketing sustainably doesn’t have to be. Beyond complex social media algorithms and the day’s hottest trends, there’s messaging to be had about sustainable practices – not just for your squad of IG creators and comment-responders, but your company as whole.
And these don’t just apply to companies here in Moore County, North Carolina, where we’re located – anyone, anywhere can make the transformation to be a little bit more environmentally conscious for a greener tomorrow.
1. Using eco-friendly print materials or packaging
This might be the most obvious of the bunch, and that’s why we put it as the number one tip for going green, but it’s also one of the most overlooked ways to make your company just a little bit more sustainable.
And, good news for you and your company, it can apply to every single department – not just you marketers!
If you’re in a field like Ecommerce, you pack and ship multiple products a day, oftentimes with your branding on it. If you’re not, you still do some form of printing in your everyday operations; why not figure out a way to make those just a little bit greener (despite the color of the prints)?
As an added bonus, we’ve found three of our favorite eco-friendly and green resources, curated right here and now just for you:
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- Everything we’re seeing over on EcoEnclose from sustainable ink to custom, 100%-recycled shipping boxes really stands out.
- This blog from enhesa called ‘The rise of zero waste packaging’ gives an in-depth, yet easily-digestible course on why eco-friendly and sustainability is an important choice your brand can make.
- Compostable shipping tape from Better Packaging, because every aspect of shipping can (and should) be eco-friendly and sustainable.
2. Choosing digital-first marketing strategies
Extra, extra! Read all about it! Digital-first marketing strategies are the hot new thing.
No, seriously, they are. Digital marketing in 2025 (and beyond) is more than just posting updates on your company’s social media – we’re sure you already know that as a marketing professional, but it’s something worth repeating.
This isn’t to say printed media doesn’t work (especially with some eco-friendly options highlighted above) – we would never tell someone to not support local journalism in the newspaper. We’re simply saying to maybe think twice before printing some missing dog flyers and stapling them to the telephone pole on the corner.
An advantage we all have today compared to decades ago is that we have many channels to reach our customers – targeted online and social media ads, email newsletters, and even organic social media growth. We have tools like we’ve never seen before in analytics, A/B testing, and focused ad spend. Why waste time and money shouting into the abyss when you could be delivered straight to your customer like your favorite food delivery app?
3. Partnering with local or green-certified vendors
This one is a lesser-known tip, and involves some research, but who doesn’t like a little internet exploration to break up their workday?
We’ll admit this can be confusing, and, if you don’t know what you’re looking for, a bit overwhelming. The good news is that this change doesn’t have to happen overnight. And it surely shouldn’t be something that changes your company’s message or branding (unless, of course, that message and branding was bluntly ‘We will never, ever do anything to become more sustainable or eco-friendly,’ but if that were the case, you probably wouldn’t be reading this.)
Compared to even just 10 years ago, we have a whole new world of green-friendly or sustainable vendors, so the search for them doesn’t have to go far and wide, regardless of what industry you’re in.
Construction? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. Coffee shop? You betcha. Tattoo parlor? Uh-huh, that too.
Point being, in today’s world, it’s much easier to find suppliers that care about a greener earth, no matter what niche or field your company is in.
4. Designing with minimalist, energy-saving principles
Some of these points are more common sense than others, and often they apply to more niche stuff than others, BUT the lessons behind them are just as important for everyone in every industry.
This one has to be the most-overlooked point in this blog by a long shot, and unless you know a lot of industry jargon, it doesn’t make sense. That’s why we’ve made the call to the bullpen to bring in some backup to help explain.
In a nutshell: more intricate pictures and slower caches = slower load times. Slower load times = more energy used. More energy used = a bigger environmental impact.
What we’re trying to say is, optimize your website for fast load times and quick response. It not only helps you with Search Engine Optimization, but helps the environment, too.
That’s just one aspect of this point, too. The most blue collar work – which you wouldn’t necessarily equate with this, usually – can benefit from taking a step back and re-examining business practices.
5. Sharing your sustainability journey transparently online
Lastly, before you ever take yourself (and your brand) too seriously, have some fun with it.
Sure, this is a serious topic, and it has real-world implications, but that doesn’t mean you can’t smile a bit and be a little lighthearted. And, while you’re doing that, share the journey of it all.
Find a new sustainable vendor? Celebrate it. Partnering with a green-minded influencer in your niche? Awesome, make some new content. Painting your company-wide thumbs green and planting some trees next week? Show that off to the world.
Bottom line upfront: consumers love transparency, and it’s hip to be cool (or something like that). You know how valuable word-of-mouth marketing and reputation are to your small business? Green living deserves that same treatment.
Be warned, though – make sure this is a genuine movement and value of your company, not just some marketing fad. Customers will catch on quick, and if there’s one thing an audience hates, it’s someone clout-chasing to push their products.
Conclusion
Marketers sell their company to potential customers and clients. Let’s face it, the marketing department is made up of salespeople without the title or commission. Your company’s branding and messaging goes directly through you (and often comes from you, too).
Every department is represented to the outside world through the marketers, from Canva designs to press releases and the like. Why not signify to the masses that you and your company are living green values and being the change you want to be?
And who better to start with than the marketing department? You’re the ones who know how to develop messaging and deploy it quickly. Remember that word-of-mouth marketing? You can do that within your own company when it comes to sustainable practices.
Following this guide, not only can you change your own department, but you can deploy all five of these tips company-wide and see an actual environmental change from your own efforts.
