23 | Greenwashing, "storydoing"
and the narratives crafted by legacy brands and intentional ones.
A week back, I got to share a small stage in a former hospital in Amsterdam with one of the co-founders of the storytelling platform Waterbear.
If you’re not familiar, Waterbear is building a community of earth enthusiasts and “imperfect activists” (their clever description) through documentaries and TV series with an inquisitive, practical, and hopeful bent. Poppy Mason-Watts and I were asked by hosts Four Bent Corners (thanks to friends-of-the-letter Richard Patterson and Sarina di Mento) to talk about the value of entertainment — both brand-driven and unbranded — in addressing critical issues.
The platform hosts films and shows that explore topics like the circular economy, food security, and climate change solutions, in a UX that feels like any other major streaming service. They also host workshops, both in-person and online. It’s funded in part by Nikon and a foundation set up by around-the-world sailor Ellen MacArthur, who created one to advocate for a global transition into the circular economy. Waterbear also earns money doing work for brands, creating bespoke films showcasing their meaningful impact.
And this is where the discussion got specific. I wrote in my first-ever letter (oh my) about my mixed feelings on commissioning a short film highlighting the struggle of Native American skateboarders for Red Bull. TL;DR: unless this is the beginning of a significant commitment for a company, then those type of films feel naive at best, and exploitative at worst.
It seems like brands are filled with people who share the same worries. Indeed, as Poppy brought up, there’s such concern at being labeled as fraudulent that companies have a tough time deciding when to tout their accomplishments. More often than not, she said, the real work as getting the internal alignment to tell the stories in the first place.
That makes a lot of sense, of course. The stories brands tell around their involvement in major issues works best when it’s specific and intentional. It lands when it’s driven not by a marketing plan or a PR opportunity, but a steady cadence of content and action that reflects the values of the customer base they’re building. There’s a term I came across recently for this type of content — it’s called “Storydoing” (and it doesn’t quite land, does it).
Think of examples like WeTransfer’s annual Ideas Report, which delves into the pressures of being a working creative, combined with a steady drumbeat of storytelling around creativity and artists on WePresent and the home page “Wallpaper”. Or Square’s consistent storytelling around the struggles and hopes of American small business owners.
Those are companies that were founded with an intention and value set beyond profitability. But there are plenty of longstanding brands that are playing catch up, and bolting on a new awareness of the concerns of the younger generations they’re keen to attract. Below, an example of each.
COACH 👛 An old-school New York luxury brand and Sex in the City darling before nearly dying a death of outlet mall ubiquity, Coach changed its tune in the late 2010s. That’s when they began investigating circular fashion as a brand differentiator. In 2021, they launched their (Re)Loved campaign, which invited consumers to send their old products in to be repaired, or traded for credit. Over the last three years, they’ve become a beacon in the growing re-commerce community (where they stand out as a luxury exception next to outdoor brands like REI). They created a senior position around sustainability, helmed by Joon Silverstein, who talked about the brand wanting to become a signal for “expressive luxury.” It’s a clever way of acknowledging the sustainability signaling of the Gen Z consumer. Most know what a horror show fashion is when it comes to carbon emissions and filling up landfills with old, discarded or returned products. And a legacy brand bolting on a sustainable message should be greeted with skepticism. After all, they were burned on TikTok as recently as 2021 by an activist who showed a sample of Coach bags purposefully slashed then discarded by staff as part of a company policy to earn tax write-offs. But Coach is now about three years into this new narrative, driven by Coachtopia, a new sub-brand whose products are made from discarded leather scraps and recycled cotton. They’ve been deliberate in showcasing transparency in the process. Last year they brought in Aditi Mayer, a sustainability influencer and journalist (writing that will never not feel strange ), who traveled to India on the company’s behalf to talk to the factory workers re-imagining patterns and texture with discarded leather. Focused completely on “fashion’s circular future,” the episode highlighted the good Coachtopia was doing with its new approach, and was meant to be the first in a series. But it’s been 9 months without episode 2. Their socials are a virtuous melange of brand-blessed “green influencer” content and fit checks, threaded throughout with lite-touch sustainability messaging (An off-camera voice saying “See you at the climate talks tomorrow!” at the beginning of a particular campaign). Their message is consistent, if a bit paint-by-numbers in its execution. Perhaps that’s the uphill battle faced by legacy brands with this approach. Impact storytelling needs years — and significant action by other parts of the business — to change perceptions. As Jules Lennon, the fashion lead of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation said in an interview with the New York Times, ““Circular initiatives should not be seen as a bolt-on to traditional linear models of growth, and that’s something we need to be watching closely for.”
Haeckels is a sustainable skincare brand that emphasizes both its hyperlocal roots and the community it’s building around a mission-driven business. Their small batch skin care and beauty products are sourced entirely from natural ingredients, including seaweeds and “marine botanicals” from the lands and waters around their home in Margate, on the English coast. They write notes of inspiration in addition to descriptions on their perfume and candles, and sell things like Beetroot Probiotic and Seaweed Broth. You get the deal. The brand has had an environmental commitment from its founding in 2012, partnering with ocean groups and proselytizing for a mindful approach to production. As a result, their mission-driven storytelling feels indelible to the brand. But its execution is wildly different than anything I’ve seen. Their IG reels films are auteur-ish, with obvious budget earmarked for ethereal sound design. The aesthetic feels like a mix of Breathless and Severance. Even their product demo videos give off a strong vibe. This Reel is amazing, by the way. And I needed a quick jaunt to the dictionary to understand the bio line of their IG page:
They had a London Craft Week exhibition in May that featured talent with bios like this: “Crystal Wang, a Taiwanese biodesigner who creates fossil-like sculptures using soil-borne bacteria, crushed seashells, and eggshells, which improve soil health and prevent degradation.” Honestly, their web site (entirely too busy) is worth the half hour of idle clicking to uncover all the various iterations of their distinct storytelling point of view. Their brand content strategy could’ve gone down 100 well trodden paths, and they chose the unlikeliest one. 10/10, no notes.