Do we need to rebrand to start being sustainable?

Question from list member Annabelle this week:

“Do we need to rebrand in order to start being sustainable?”

Thanks for the question – it makes me realise I may not be doing a great job of separating these two things.

This is my view:

The only thing you need to do to start being sustainable, is start being sustainable.

Expecting a rebrand to trigger a change is a false pursuit. Whether that change is becoming sustainable, increasing sales, improving customer service, or anything else – just rebranding won’t do that for you.

But I think what the question is asking, is whether your organisation needs to present itself as something different (via a rebrand) in order to start talking about your sustainability pursuits.

If that’s the case, that sounds like you’re asking permission – which you don’t need.

The purpose of a rebrand is not to create change, it’s to reflect a change.

Rebrand or not, just saying you’re sustainable doesn’t make it true. You need to do the work and make the changes that will make it true.

If you choose to rebrand in order to reflect that, that’s always your choice – but it’s not a requirement. You can communicate the changes in heaps of ways that are easier than rebranding (eg: add an Impact page on your website).

You do have a responsibility to be truthful and transparent about your pursuits, but you do not need permission to start.

To reiterate:

Rebranding is rarely if ever, the first step towards a change.

Make the change. Then decide how best to communicate it.