The interconnection between long-term business success and a thriving natural world is critical. Without a stable, biodiverse natural environment, business resilience and longevity is at risk. Brands with a deep knowledge of sustainability understand this.
Those purpose-driven ones – especially B Corps – are taking their marketing to the next level by integrating regenerative ideas into their brand storytelling.
In this blog, I delve into why it’s important to bring nature to the fore to influence audiences, and share some examples of B Corp brands that are doing this well.
Why is this important?
Marketing has a huge influence on what, how, when and why people buy. Whether it’s services or goods, this influence is called brainprint.
Brands help shape our desires and purchasing behaviours. For decades, brands have sold us unsustainable lifestyles that have collectively led to broken and dying ecosystems.
There are now groups of activist organisations including Purpose Disruptors, Clean Creatives and Creatives for Climate who are trying to reverse this approach, and calling for advertising and marketing to be used as a force for good, to encourage wellbeing rather than excess consumption.
Purpose Disruptors’ project Agency for Nature is a brilliant example of making Nature the client, and they work with top creatives from big agencies to bring campaigns to life.
Conservation charities have tried to do this for decades, but now businesses are breaking through with their own ideas.
Faith in Nature is widely known in B Corp circles as the first business in the UK to legally give Nature a seat on its board of directors. They did this in August 2022. That means, Nature has a human representing it during all board meetings and major company decisions, and is an active, voting board member. Here’s the film they put out when announcing the news.
Lawyers for Nature helped them design the legal framework to bring this to life, and it is being applied practically within the business. Most recently, Nature supported Faith in Nature’s move into 100% recycled and infinitely recycled bottles and ‘Nature-positive’ sourcing of ingredients.
Away from legalities, Faith in Nature threads this regenerative approach throughout its brand. It produces content about flora and fauna in the form of blogs and videos that don’t directly sell their products – but educate their audience. For example, this blog about starling murmurations, and this one about a UK river becoming the first to have its rights legally recognised.
Vivo Barefoot
Footwear B Corp Vivo Barefoot takes inspiration from the natural world in every step. Literally! Their shoes are designed to mimic barefoot movement, rooted in the belief that we thrive when we move the way nature intended. But it goes beyond biomechanics. Vivo uses their platform to spark deeper nature connection through storytelling, like this blog on bio-inspired design, which draws parallels between evolution and footwear innovation.
By grounding their design philosophy in nature, Vivo invites their community into a shared exploration, asking them to consider what does it mean to live in alignment with our natural selves? Their content is educational and empowering. It helps people see their own bodies as part of nature, not separate from it.
House of Hackney
In 2023, inspired by Faith in Nature, luxury interiors and lifestyle brand House of Hackney became the second company in the world to legally appoint Mother Nature and Future Generations to their board of directors.
Their approach is grounded in the belief that humans are part of nature, and not separate from it. They believe we’ve lost our way by treating the natural world as something to extract from rather than live in kinship with. By legally defining nature and future generations as directors, they ensure that every business decision is checked for its impact on ecosystems and those yet to come.
They’ve also woven nature’s influence into everything from fabric design to brand values, with lush visual storytelling to match. Their aim is to raise awareness among their customers and spark the emotional connection we need to want to act to protect nature.
Natura & Co
Natura & Co is a purpose-driven collective of brands including Natura and Avon.Their environmental advocacy includes everything from protecting the Amazon to advancing circular beauty. Their messaging often connects nature with social equity, acknowledging that indigenous communities are some of the planet’s best stewards.
They communicate these efforts clearly and confidently, tying nature into both product development and supply chain ethics. What stands out is their consistency across brands, whether it’s sourcing ingredients or shaping corporate strategy, nature isn’t an afterthought. It’s part of the blueprint.
How to avoid greenwashing
For brands looking to bring regenerative principles and nature into their marketing and storytelling, they need to be careful not to greenwash. Here are a few things to consider to help you stay on track if you’re considering following the likes of House of Hackney, Faith in Nature and co:
Is nature involved in decision-making, or just decoration?
Does nature legally have a say in your business? How is it included in governance? Are you telling stories about nature while continuing business as usual, or have you made changes behind the scenes?
Are you being specific in your sustainability claims?
General claims don’t build trust, and will fall foul of regulations such as the Green Claims Code. Be clear about what you’re doing from a sustainability perspective, the impacts, and be explicit about how you’re improving.
Are you listening to nature advocates?
Co-creating with ecology experts, local communities and conservation charities adds authenticity, accuracy and depth to your messages.
Is what you’re doing regenerative, or sustainable?
Sustainability is about doing less harm. Regeneration is about restoring and rebuilding. Make sure you understand the difference and this is clear in your communications.
Final thoughts
Marketing that includes references to nature and regenerative principles builds influence, trust, community, loyalty, respect and love for the living world among a brand’s customers and other stakeholders.
So whether you’re naming Nature to your board, bringing nature into your product design or just starting to talk more openly about the ecosystems your business depends on, it all counts in a world where we need to act together to regenerate nature.
What Would Nature Say? Online workshop recap
Last month, my pal Ece and I hosted our own online workshop exploring this very topic called ‘What Would Nature Say? Bringing Regenerative Thinking into Your Brand and Marketing Strategy’. More than 25 people joined us to explore what developing a persona for nature would look like.
If you weren’t able to join us, here is a link to the recap: https://app.butter.us/recap/4f5116cf-15ef-444b-a568-deeb4f46424e
If you want to try the exercise in your own work, or with your teams, here is a link to the personas template for you to use: https://bit.ly/naturepersona
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