Dare to Stand Out: Making Sustainability Unforgettable

Most sustainable initiatives get lost in the noise. A green label here, a pledge to reduce carbon emissions there, it all blends into a sea of sameness. People see it, but they don’t feel it. They don’t talk about it. And they certainly don’t care enough to act.

The problem isn’t that sustainability doesn’t matter. It’s that we’re presenting it in a way that’s utterly forgettable.

If you want to stand out, you have to make people care. And to do that, you need to do something worth remembering, not just worth a round of applause at a sustainability conference, but something so compelling that your customers can’t help but tell others about it.

As Seth Godin puts it, you can see thousands of brown cows and never notice a single one. But if you see a purple cow, you stop. You stare. You tell your friends. Remarkable ideas spread because they’re different enough to be unforgettable. That’s the kind of impact sustainability needs to make.

Make Sustainability Memorable

Think about Patagonia. They didn’t just sell jackets. They told customers: Don’t buy this jacket. That single campaign wasn’t just bold, it was a statement of values, a declaration that what they stood for mattered more than a sale. People noticed. More importantly, people talked about it.

This is what sustainability needs to do. Not blend in. Not get lost in statistics and jargon. But create moments that make people stop, notice, and share.

How to Create a Standout Sustainability Strategy

1. Surprise People
   Do something unexpected. Go beyond the obvious. The world is full of greenwashing and empty promises: what can you do that feels fresh and authentic? Imagine a restaurant that doesn't just reduce food waste but creates gourmet meals entirely from what would have been thrown away. It’s not just sustainable, it’s remarkable.

2. Tell a Story That Matters
   Numbers and certifications don’t inspire action, stories do. Why should someone care about your solar-powered cabins? Not because they’re off-grid, but because they make guests feel a rare sense of connection with nature. Frame your sustainability efforts in terms of human emotions and experiences, not technical details.

3. Make It Effortless to Choose You
   People want to make better choices, but they don’t want those choices to be hard. Can you design your product or service to make sustainability the most obvious, easiest option? Imagine packaging that’s as beautiful as it is compostable, or a booking process that highlights the environmental impact guests are avoiding by staying with you.

4. Invite People to Join Your Mission
   Sustainability isn’t something you do alone, it’s something you invite others to be part of. Can your customers feel like heroes because they chose your product? Let them see the tangible impact they’re making, whether it’s a cleaner coastline, a restored forest, or a community empowered through your work.

Don’t Blend In: Be Remarkable

Sustainability is no longer a niche conversation; it’s the expectation. But expectations don’t create action. Emotions do. If you want to make a real difference, not just for the planet but for your business, you need to stand out. You need to be the choice people not only feel good about but want to talk about.

In a world full of generic green promises, dare to be the purple cow of sustainability. Because if your efforts aren’t worth talking about, they might never create the impact you’re striving for.