The 7 Ways to Design for a Greener Future

Every marketer today is tasked with designing for a more sustainable future. From crafting digital products and services to advertising and marketing, every part of the business is being asked to do more—and do it better—to reduce the impact their products and services have on the environment. So how do you design for a more sustainable future? Greener marketing is a mix of several principles and practices. It’s not a simple matter of just choosing green products. It requires a more strategic approach and a stronger understanding of the big picture. To design for a more sustainable future, follow these seven steps.

Go beyond greenwashing

Greenwashing, defined as the act of trying to pass offish as something else, can occur in many forms. From the fraudulent marketing of organic coffee to the deceptive marketing of electric vehicles, it’s important to be aware of the signs that your company is greenwashing itself.

You may be wondering: “How do I tell if our marketing materials are greenwashing our products?”

One way is to ask yourself this question: How is this company promoting itself? You may find that certain phrases and images crop up over and over again in your marketing communications. If this is the case, it may be worth taking a second look at the way you’re promoting your company.

Make sustainability a priority

Like almost all things in business, leading with sustainability starts at the top. CEO commitment is key. This is true for sustainability efforts in marketing too. A commitment to leading with sustainability from the top down will help to create the positive change that’s needed.

At the same time, though, it’s important to remember that sustainability isn’t a one-way street. While you must strive to reduce the amount of energy, water, and resources used in your business, you must also be mindful of the need to replenish these resources.

This means that you must make sure that your marketing materials adequately reflect your company’s efforts to reduce consumption. You must also take care to highlight your company’s efforts to produce more using less.

Have a digital detox

We live in an online age. According to a report, people in developed countries spend an average of 6 hours and 49 minutes online each day. And the number is growing: More than half of internet users expect their usage to increase over the next year.

As internet usage soars, so does the level of digital waste we create. According to a report, 97% of digital users report having woken up one or more times because of their digital devices. And according to a survey, 91% of internet users say that they feel negatively affected by this digital stimulation.

Poor digital hygiene can have a significant environmental impact. This is true both for the health of the planet and for the health of the people and businesses that depend on it.

The digital detox can help to reduce the amount of energy, water, and resources used in your business while also helping to reduce the negative effects this has on your employees’ well-being. It can also help to decrease the amount of digital waste your company creates.

Embrace creative disruption

In a world where change is constant, it’s important to be able to embrace creative disruption. The digital age is a disruptive age. And as with all disruptive periods, it can be a time of uncertainty and change.

A truly sustainable future will require an approach to business that’s both innovative and disruptive. It will require a focus on creating new and better products and services. But it will also require an approach to business that’s both backward and forward thinking.

This means that you must be ready to embrace both old and new ideas. It means that you must be ready to discard some things that don’t work and to incorporate new technologies and practices that will further your company’s cause.

But it also means that you must be ready to break the cycle of short-term thinking that often plagues large corporations. It also means that you must be open to new ways of doing things—new ideas, new technologies, and new ways of looking at things.

Measure what matters

It’s important to measure the impact of your marketing activities. This can help to guide your efforts and to make sure that you’re staying focused on the most important aspects of your marketing mix.

There are a number of ways to measure the success of your marketing campaigns. You may choose to track key metrics such as the number of sales you achieve, the amount of time your customers spend with your products and services, your company’s market share, and the amount of money your company generates.

Learn about the customer

As you design for a more sustainable future, it’s important to understand your customers better. This means that you must learn to truly value—and respect—both your current customers and those that you’re hoping to attract in the future.

To do this, you must first have a clear understanding of who your customers are. You should know what customers make up your target market and the types of customers that you want to attract.

You should also know your customers’ behaviors. This means that you must ask yourself: How do customers use our products and services? Where do they use them? At what time of day do they use them? Do they also have a preferred way of using them?

With this information, you can better design your products and services to meet the needs of your customers. You can also further improve the customer experience.

Conclusion

Marketing is a critical part of any business strategy. It’s the link between a company and their customers. It’s how a company can get the word out about their products and services. And it’s how customers can learn about new products and services that may be of interest to them.

But what happens when you design for a more sustainable future? Well, the 7 design principles that I’ve outlined here can help to get you started on the right path.