Integrating ESG into your brand strategy

More than any other time in history, consumers are using their spending power as a way to engage ethically with businesses and support companies with values that align with their own. In a world where climate change headlines dominate the news and social justice movements shape cultural conversations, people are stepping up to the challenge of shaping their world for the better, and they expect brands to step up with them.

And they're not just asking—they’re putting their money where their mouths are. In just five years, from 2017 to 2022, products with ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) practices saw a 28% sales boost, and over 60% of consumers are willing to pay more for sustainable products, showing that doing good for the world is good for business. 

So, what does this have to do with branding? Well, if you’re not embracing good ESG practices as part of your brand identity, it’s time to change that. This isn’t about chasing trends—it’s about creating a brand that’s authentic, purposeful, and built to thrive in a world that values impact.

In this blog, we’ll explore what ESG is and how you can integrate it into your brand strategy. We will also spotlight some standout brands that are setting the gold standard for ESG practices. 

What is ESG?

ESG stands for Environmental, Social, and Governance. Essentially, it’s a framework that evaluates and showcases how responsibly a company operates across these three key areas and serves as an opportunity to show their customers that they care about how they impact the world. 

Environmental: Protecting the Planet

This pillar focuses on minimizing a company’s impact on the environment and committing to environmental sustainability through their business practices. It includes efforts like using eco-friendly packaging, reducing carbon footprints, establishing post-consumer waste initiatives, and powering operations with renewable energy. 

For example, LEGO has committed to phasing out single-use plastic packaging in favor of sustainable materials by 2025, and New Belgium Brewing Company has funded climate-resilient barley research, and their popular ale, Fat Tire, became America’s first certified carbon-neutral beer in 2020.

Environmental sustainability efforts serve to make a positive impact toward saving our planet and resonate with eco-conscious people, a fast-growing consumer demographic.

Social: Supporting People

This pillar is all about how companies support their employees, customers, and communities and engage in social issues. It includes efforts like promoting diversity and inclusion in hiring, ensuring fair wages, maintaining ethical supply chains, and supporting social causes.

Some leading examples include Ben & Jerry’s, who have consistently championed progressive causes like racial justice, LGBTQ+ rights, and campaign finance reform, and Warby Parker, who has donated over 15 million pairs of glasses to those in need across the globe.

Governance: Building Ethical Structures

This pillar is all about defining the internal systems and processes that show how a company operates ethically and responsibly and making those systems and processes transparent to the world. It includes efforts like creating diverse leadership teams, transparently representing executive pay, and committing to impartial third-party audits and evaluations.

An example of exceptional Governance transparency can be seen in Salesforce, a company that has set a high standard by working with third parties to create audited reports on their environmental and social performance and transparency reports about everything from workforce demographics to executive compensation tied to ESG goals.

Integrating ESG Into Your Brand

Integrating ESG into your brand isn’t just a feel-good initiative—it’s a strategic move that can deepen trust, attract talent, and strengthen your reputation. Whether ESG becomes a core part of your identity or an ancillary focus of your brand, the key is to make it genuine, visible, and impactful across the brand experience. Here’s how to do it effectively:

1. Be Authentic

Consumers are savvy, and they can spot greenwashing or performative social responsibility from a mile away. Plus, there’s no better way to lose customers and damage your brand than breaking your brand promise. To make ESG a credible part of your brand, it has to go beyond surface-level gestures. It’s not just about publishing sustainability reports (though those are important)—it’s about weaving ESG principles into the fabric of your brand’s essence and making them evident in the way your brand interacts with the world.

2. Align Efforts with Your Brand Identity

The best ESG strategies don’t feel bolted on—they feel like a natural extension of your brand. 

ESG initiatives should make sense within the context of your brand’s mission, values, and overall identity. A well-executed brand deeply understands not only its purpose but also the values its customers care about. Your ESG efforts should reflect these shared values in a way that feels natural and relevant. For example, a wellness brand might focus on mental health initiatives and using organic materials, while a tech company might prioritize reducing electronic waste and fostering diversity in STEM fields. By embedding ESG into your brand’s DNA, you not only stand to gain trust and loyalty but also contribute meaningfully to the world—a win-win that’s good for business and good for the world.

3. Communicate Clearly

In order for your ESG practices to be successful, they need to be visible, accessible, and fully integrated into the brand experience. This means that communication is key—both internally and externally.

Best practices for internal communication might include:

• Including ESG messaging as part of your brand guide so that marketing teams know how to share your initiatives effectively and authentically.
• Investing in ESG training for your team so that everyone in the company understands how to communicate your company’s values across all customer touchpoints.
• Encouraging employees to participate in ESG initiatives, from community service programs to workplace sustainability projects.

Best practices for external communication might include:

• Highlighting your ESG initiatives clearly on your website and social media in a way that feels cohesive with your brand’s visual identity.
• Telling your brand’s ESG story by showing real-world examples of how your ESG initiatives are making a difference in the world.
• Prioritizing transparency—that includes being loud and proud about your successes and addressing challenges with humility. Showing progress and a willingness to improve builds trust with your customers and community.

Companies Doing It Right

Great Northern: Packaging Sustainability at Its Best

Great Northern Corporation, a leader in innovative solutions for packaging, displays, and product distribution, has built sustainability into the foundation of their brand. With Quill’s help, they recently completed a brand refresh to reflect and reinforce their commitment to environmental sustainability.

Their sustainability efforts are embedded into their visual identity with carefully crafted, nature-inspired iconography and close-up imagery of eco-friendly products and materials alongside imagery of team members, creating a human connection to their mission. Paired with a transparent and accessible sustainability trends report and a clearly marked ESG page on their website, Great Northern makes it clear to consumers that environmental sustainability is a priority for their brand.

Check out the link below to see the full case case study on how we worked with Great Northern Corporation.

Bombas: One Purchase = One Donated

Bombas, a sock and apparel company, integrates social responsibility into their business model with a straightforward yet impactful initiative: for every item purchased, one is donated to someone in need.

Bombas is a great example of how a brand can make ESG efforts a meaningful part of their identity without making them the central focus. Social responsibility is a key component of Bombas’ brand—their website includes a webpage and infographics dedicated to their “One Purchase = One Donated” model, along with impact reports that show how donations are making a difference. But this important part of their mission doesn’t overshadow the primary focus of their brand—creating colorful, comfortable, quality products. 

Patagonia: A Masterclass in Environmental Advocacy

Patagonia has long been synonymous with environmental responsibility. Their initiatives are deeply rooted in their brand identity and values, setting a high bar for authenticity. Patagonia’s ESG efforts don’t just align with their brand values—they are their brand.

They achieve this distinction through a robust ESG hub on their webpage, which includes details on their activism, their supply chain, their environmental impact, and how 1% of their sales goes to grassroots environmental organizations, among other initiatives. They share reports on their factories and the working conditions of the people who manufacture their products and encourage responsible consumption, designing repairable products, offering repair guides, and even free clothing repairs and recycling services. Patagonia even offers customers ways to easily engage in their own activism, showcasing petitions and volunteer opportunities on their website and social media.  

Buffer: Pioneering Workplace Transparency

Buffer, a social media management company, has become a leader in ethical governance by embracing radical transparency. Since 2013 they’ve been making waves by making the salaries of every single Buffer employee, from the CEO to the most entry-level position, public. They also disclose the formula they use to calculate compensation and pay all employees above the market rate to ensure everyone on their team can thrive. Buffer takes their commitment to transparency even further by publishing monthly metrics covering things like active users, recurring revenue, customer churn, and a breakdown of how profits are allocated.

One of Buffer’s core values is to “Improve Consistently,” and they consider reading to be a cornerstone of that value. They go the extra mile to reinforce this value by sharing a list of books their team members are currently reading and allowing employees to expense any book they purchase. New team members even receive the e-reader of their choice! This kind of thoughtful and creative approach to ESG, shows how to perfectly align your ESG goals with your brand’s core identity and implement it in a meaningful, authentic way.

Make ESG Part of Your Brand Strategy with Help from the Experts

Integrating ESG into your brand strategy is a great way to build an authentic, impactful brand that resonates with today's conscious consumers. Incorporating ESG practices into your brand identity not only builds trust and loyalty but also sets your brand up for long-term success.

At Quill, our team of creative branding experts can craft a brand that authentically integrates your organization’s ESG goals into its core. If you’re interested in creating a brand that aligns with your values and makes a meaningful impact on the world, let’s talk!