Sustainable branding focuses on integrating sustainability into a brand's identity, values and practices. It goes beyond the superficial use of eco-friendly imagery or slogans and requires a deep commitment to environmental, social and economic responsibility. A sustainable brand has the power to influence change, drive consumer loyalty and inspire positive action.

Now that we've established the importance of sustainable branding, it's time to explore how to create a sustainable – and successful - brand.

Here's MAp’s step-by-step guide to help you get started:

For every brand we create, we approach it holistically through the lens of the 4 Ps to determine how we can best portray a hotel’s Purpose, inspire and uplift its people, minimise its impact on the planet and economically benefit all of its stakeholders. When you enter into a (re-)branding process, we recommend to keep these 4 Ps close to you and ensure they are reflected in every aspect of your brand – from its visual identity to its verbal identity.

Not only are branding or rebranding exercises a big commitment (financial and otherwise), they necessitate the production of new marketing materials and the elimination of old ones (= more waste).

When you practice sustainable branding, you overcome this by creating a visual identity that is timeless and therefore avoids becoming quickly outdated - instead, it grows with your business across existing and future product lines, projects, subsidiaries and more.

Sourcing materials and services from responsible partners is essential – they should align with your sustainability values and meet your sustainability expectations. Beyond that, though, it’s important to give opportunities to small businesses, local ones, and those owned by women and people of colour when possible.

Also check if your partners have sustainability certifications in order to make sure that they walk the walk too!

Today, there are many options for choosing environmentally-friendly materials and packaging, from biodegradable paper to eco-friendly printer ink. For your marketing material, we suggest to research and find the best partners and products to make your sustainable brand happen.

The brand verbal identity and messaging we develop follow MAp’s 10 Principles of Sustainable Communication: transparency, inclusiveness, cultural sensitivity, clarity, responsibility, authenticity, progress, relevance, inspirational, ethical.

We also recommend to employ emotional storytelling techniques to connect and appeal to audiences – not just your guests, but also your employees, partners and local community members. By following these steps, you can create a sustainable brand that not only resonates with your stakeholders but also empowers positive change in the world, making your brand a force for good.

Rosenberg, an American psychologist, developed and coined the term “Nonviolent Communication” (NVC), which is a theory of communication that teaches people to express themselves clearly and honestly, while being respectful, empathic and focusing on what is being said as opposed to diagnosing or judging; or, as Rosenberg puts it simply, “a way of communicating that leads us to give from the heart.” He contends that, for centuries, people have been taught to speak and think in ways that can in fact perpetuate pain, conflict or even violence. This is where NVC comes in: to reduce these issues, build trust, strengthen relationships and promote peace – one interaction at a time. Through useful anecdotes, inspiring stories and practical exercises, Rosenberg introduces a framework for NVC and shows us how to authentically express ourselves in any type of heated situation (internally, in business, in relationships and more).

#1: In order to be successful at NVC, we must focus on four key components: observations, feelings, needs and requests.

The process of NVC is as follows: 1) Observing a situation, 2) recognising the feelings that this situation awakens, 3) identifying what needs are connected to those feelings, and lastly, 4) looking at what we can ask for to satisfy those needs. When used in a sentence: “When ___, I feel ___, because I am needing ___. Therefore, I would now like ___.”

To practice NVC is to express these four components verbally (or by other means), but also to receive the same four areas of information from others. That is to say, sensing what they are observing, feeling, needing and requesting so that we can determine how we can best help them. When we use this process, we create a flow of communication that leads to compassion from both sides.

#2: When there is an emotional response to a situation, it's always based on an unmet need, so don’t be quick to judge or blame.

Judging or blaming someone is the worst thing we can do if we want them to listen or change their behaviour. Instead, Rosenberg suggests a foundational habit for NVC: that we learn to separate observations from judgments or blame, keeping our observations objective and neutral.

Better yet, understanding others’ behaviours as manifestations of their unmet needs helps to humanize conflicts and create empathy. And if we show empathy and true understanding for one’s needs, we’re likely to receive a respectful response to our requests of them.

#3: Connection to self (being at home with our own feelings and needs), enables us to form better connections with others and thereby become better communicators.

According to Rosenberg, NVC’s most important use may be in developing self-compassion. As he states, “When we are internally violent towards ourselves, it is difficult to be genuinely compassionate towards others.” Therefore, it is important to employ NVC in our own moment-to-moment evaluation of ourselves in a way that helps us to learn, grow and make decisions that serve us – rather than turning to self-hatred. By being better in tune with ourselves and assessing our behaviours in terms of our unmet needs, not only can we cultivate self-compassion, but we can better communicate our requests of others and thus be better communicators.

While NVC can be applied to any aspect of one ‘s life, let’s look at how it can be utilised in the world of business (we are consultants after all).

• Sales + Marketing: An NVC approach to Sales + Marketing is listening to your target audience and letting them know how you can meet their needs and make their lives more enriching. This should be nothing new!
• Money: When evaluating an incoming offer, whether it be for a product, service or salary, ask yourself, “does this amount work for me in relation to my needs, or my business in relation to its needs?” 
• Stress Management + Team-Building: There is a lot of stress in the business world. Therefore, feelings and needs awareness, of self and others (aka showing empathy), is crucial to stress management and creating a productive working environment.

“The objective of Nonviolent Communication is not to change people and their behaviour in order to get our way: it is to establish relationships based on honesty and empathy, which will eventually fulfil everyone’s needs.”

We genuinely hope that you read this book and share it with whoever is important to you. If you do, let us know what you think!  Support a local bookshop by buying your book here: https://bookshop.org/. You can also find further valuable information on this website: https://www.nonviolentcommunication.com

In a world in which we are all looking to make an impact, improving the way we communicate is an important first step.