Sustainable Vietnam
  • Home
  • About
  • Blog
  • Contributors
  • Contact
Sustainable Vietnam
  • Home
  • About
  • Blog
  • Contributors
  • Contact
BlogBrandingChange-MakersEQUO on Sustainable VietnamMonthly TakeoverZero Waste

EQUO on Sustainable Vietnam: Skip the lectures!

published by Sustainable Vietnam September 23, 2021
published by Sustainable Vietnam September 23, 2021
EQUO on Sustainable Vietnam: Skip the lectures!

By Marina Tran-Vu, CEO & Co-Founder, EQUO – 

For years I worked in brand management for large, global corporations such as Unilever. Looking at so many well-oiled machines that were able to survive ever-shifting trends, I learned about how to build impactful and lasting brands. I also learned about the biggest mistakes to avoid, chief among them how to avoid pigeonholing your brand to a single target demographic.

Nowhere is this mistake more evident than in the eco space.

That’s boring 

I’ve always felt that the one-size-fits-all approach to branding – that hippie-era aesthetic filled with earth, that’s boring at best and intimidating at worst – served one audience for sustainable products but alienated many others.

It turned out to be a motivating factor in moving from the US back to my native Vietnam and launching my eco-friendly company, EQUO.

The kinds of brands I want to see more in the eco space will embody joy, playfulness, hope and encouragement through the use of bright colours and characters.

Neutral tones like brown, beige and cream have become the branding norm for how eco products communicate sustainability (as well as screaming ‘craft’, ‘handmade’, ‘local’, ‘recycled’ and ‘compostable’).

Yet everything from your logo to your packaging can be attractive and compelling, while remaining true to the core values of the products. Not that you’d know it from looking at most eco products out there.

Stop talking about it!

Ironically, a lot of eco-friendly brands might have a better chance of helping the environment if they were to simply stop talking about it.

I’ve always felt dismayed with the way the majority of eco brands seem to rely on fear-based tactics. So many take the approach of insisting that consumers become purists about sustainability – shaming them for any use of plastic, gas, air travel or the purchase of new products.

This dogmatic all-or-nothing approach alienates consumers who may want to take the first step towards becoming more eco-conscious, but who aren’t quite ready to totally overhaul their lifestyle.

Nor do brands in the sustainability category need to pretend that they have it all figured out – the road to eco-consciousness is always a work in progress.

Make it more desirable 

After all, there always has to be a balance between sustainability for the earth and sustainability for your business, which doesn’t always mean perfect eco practices with every single decision. Founders need to be more comfortable with that because consumers can sniff out a phoney in seconds.

Skip the lectures and make it more desirable.

 

To read all the articles on EQUO on Sustainable Vietnam, click on: 
  • More than just straws 
  • Do we have to sacrifice to be sustainable? 
  • Skip the lectures!
  • Understand your waste – recyclable, biodegradable or compostable

All views and opinions expressed on this site are those of the individual authors and comments on this site are the sole responsibility of the individual contributor.

be desirableBrandingEQUOIt's boringMarina Tran-Vumonthly takeoverNot beigestop the lecturesustainabilitySustainable VietnamVietnamzero waste
0 comment
0
FacebookPinterestEmail
Sustainable Vietnam

previous post
EQUO on Sustainable Vietnam: Do we have to sacrifice to be sustainable?
next post
EQUO on Sustainable Vietnam: Understand Your Waste – Recyclable, Biodegradable or Compostable

Related Posts

What Vietnamese Women Told Us on Salary?

March 17, 2023

What Vietnamese Women Told Us on Sexual Harassment?

March 10, 2023

Hope in a Box: Challenging Violence Against Women

March 8, 2023

What Vietnamese Women Told Us on Beauty?

March 1, 2023

Acclime Conversations: The Sustainability Promise in Vietnam

February 6, 2023

Thinking in Systems Part 3: The Network Level

January 18, 2023

Thinking in Systems Part 2: The Object Level

January 5, 2023

A single wish

January 3, 2023

Thinking in Systems Part 1: The System Level

December 20, 2022

Vietnam Investment Review – More than a product:...

December 14, 2022

Leave a Comment Cancel Reply

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Let’s Stay Updated!

Subscribe to new blog posts. Let's stay updated.

Keep in touch

Facebook Instagram

On Instagram

Popular Posts

  • Corporate Social Responsibility During a Global Pandemic: Doing Good, for Good (Part One)

  • What Vietnamese Women Told Us on Salary?

  • Understanding the Food System in Vietnam

  • Organic Farming, Certification & Enabling Smallholders in Vietnam

Let’s Stay Updated!

Subscribe to new blog posts. Let's stay updated.

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Email

All Rights Reserved - SustainableVietnam.com


Back To Top