What is ESG Marketing? How to Win Customers and Build Trust

What Is ESG Marketing?

At its core, ESG marketing is how companies communicate their environmental, social, and governance initiatives in a way that builds trust and connection with their audiences.

• Environmental (E): Efforts to reduce carbon footprints, minimize waste, use sustainable materials, or invest in renewable energy.

• Social (S): Commitment to diversity and inclusion, fair labor practices, community development, and employee well-being.

• Governance (G): Transparency, ethical business practices, and accountability at all levels of the organization.

When you tie these initiatives into your marketing strategy, you’re showing customers that your brand doesn’t just sell products—it stands for something bigger.

Why ESG Marketing Matters for Marketers

As a marketer, you’re not just in the business of selling. You’re in the business of building relationships. And ESG is one of the most powerful tools you have today to do just that.

Here’s why:

ESG Marketing vs. Greenwashing

ESG marketing is not the same as greenwashing. Greenwashing happens when companies exaggerate or misrepresent their sustainability efforts to appear more ethical than they really are. Think vague claims like “eco-friendly” without proof, or running a small recycling initiative while ignoring bigger environmental problems.

Marketers need to avoid this trap. Customers will notice, and your credibility will suffer.

Instead, ESG marketing is about authentic storytelling backed by real action. It’s about aligning your campaigns with actual initiatives and being transparent about progress, even if you’re not perfect yet.

How to Build an Effective ESG Marketing Strategy

So, how do you, as a marketer, put ESG into practice without sounding like a corporate press release? For those of us in promotional product manufacturing and sourcing, ESG isn’t just about storytelling—it’s about making better choices at every stage of the supply chain. Here’s how you can integrate ESG into your campaigns:

1. Start With Your Company’s Real Actions

Before you launch any ESG campaign, review what’s actually happening in your sourcing, manufacturing, and production. Are you using recycled or biodegradable materials? Are your partner factories certified, like ISO, BSCI, Sedex? Have you reduced single-use plastics in packaging?

For example, if your company switched from virgin plastic to rPET fabric for tote bags, that’s a concrete action worth marketing. Clients today want to know not only that your products look great, but also that they are ethically made.

Discover what sustainable manufacturing is and what it can do for your business. 

2. Translate Complex ESG Data Into Human Stories

Promotional product buyers don’t just want compliance documents. They want to understand the impact. Instead of listing certifications, tell the story behind them.

Instead of saying:
“Our factory is ISO14001 certified.”
Say:
“Every tote bag you order from us is produced in a factory that reuses water in its dyeing process, saving 500 liters per batch.”

This transforms compliance into a relatable story that customers can share with their end-users.

3. Make It Relevant to Your Audience

If your clients are brand managers or marketers, they need promotional items that match their ESG commitments. That means positioning your products not just as giveaways, but as tools that reinforce brand values.

Examples:

• For a beverage brand: bamboo straws instead of plastic.

• For a tech company: branded solar-powered chargers.

• For a retail campaign: paper-based POS displays instead of PVC.

The products themselves become physical proof of ESG values.

4. Use Multiple Marketing Channels

Don’t bury your ESG efforts in a factory compliance report. Instead, bring them forward across your marketing channels:

• Catalogs & product pages: Add ESG icons, like “Made from rPET,” “Fair Trade Certified.

• Trade shows: Display QR codes on samples linking to sustainability reports or factory videos.

• Client presentations: Show side-by-side comparisons of traditional vs. eco-friendly product options.

• Social media: Feature behind-the-scenes factory audits, material sourcing trips, or community donations tied to production.

5. Be Transparent About Challenges

Not every material has a perfect sustainable alternative. Maybe you’ve reduced plastic in packaging, but still rely on foam inserts for fragile glassware. Being honest about these challenges and showing what you’re working on next builds more trust than claiming to be 100% eco-friendly.

Clients know the promotional product supply chain is complex. What they want is honesty, steady progress, and proof of commitment.

6. Showcase Supplier Partnerships

Your supply chain says a lot about your brand. Highlight partnerships with factories that uphold fair labor practices or local artisans who produce handmade items. This shows clients that sustainability isn’t just about materials. It’s about people.

For example, showcasing that your notebooks are hand-stitched by local communities in Vietnam, with fair pay, makes a stronger ESG story than just “eco-friendly cover.”

7. Offer Clients a Choice in Sustainability

Instead of presenting one standard option, give clients tiered product choices:

• Standard product (basic cost).

• Eco-alternative (slightly higher cost, sustainable material).

• Premium ESG product (certified materials, social impact story).

This not only positions you as a transparent partner but also allows clients to align their promotional items with their own ESG goals.

8. Measure and Share Impact

Go beyond marketing slogans. Track the actual impact of your ESG efforts and share results with clients. For example:

• “By choosing rPET tote bags, our clients collectively diverted 1.2 million bottles from landfills last year.”

• “Our switch to sea freight reduced CO₂ emissions by 40% compared to air freight.”

This kind of measurable storytelling helps marketers prove ROI on ESG choices.

9. Incorporate ESG Into Product Innovation

When brainstorming new promotional products, include ESG as a design pillar from the start. For example:

• A pen that doubles as a seed stick once empty.

• POS displays designed for flat-pack shipping to reduce carbon footprint.

• Apparel made from bamboo or organic cotton that clients can proudly market as sustainable.

Innovation is where ESG becomes a competitive advantage.

10. Educate Your Clients

Marketers are often juggling dozens of campaigns, and they may not know the full benefits of sustainable product sourcing. Use your platform to educate:

• Create blog posts on eco-friendly materials.

• Share case studies of successful ESG promotions.

• Host webinars on reducing waste in branded merchandise.

When you position yourself as a knowledge partner, clients are more likely to trust you with their ESG-related campaigns.

Explore sustainable product ideas from ODM

Challenges Marketers Face in ESG Marketing

ESG marketing sounds powerful on paper, but in practice, it comes with its own set of roadblocks. If you’re a marketer dealing with promotional products and sourcing, you’ll probably recognize some of these challenges:

1. Balancing Storytelling With Proof

Marketers are storytellers by nature. But when it comes to ESG, stories without evidence can backfire. Clients expect data, certifications, and traceability.

The challenge: Turning dry compliance reports (ISO, BSCI, Sedex) into compelling stories without losing credibility.

2. Risk of Greenwashing Accusations

In today’s climate, audiences are quick to call out anything that feels fake. Even if your intentions are good, one vague claim can lead to accusations of “greenwashing.”

The challenge: Striking the right tone, being inspirational without overselling.

3. Cost Pressures

Sustainable materials and ethical production can sometimes cost more.

Convincing clients to pay a premium isn’t always easy.

The challenge: Showing the long-term ROI of ESG products versus standard, cheaper alternatives.

4. Supply Chain Transparency

Promotional product supply chains are complex. Materials may come from one country, assembly from another, and decoration from a third. Mapping this out is hard, but it’s what clients want.

The challenge: Getting reliable data from factories and suppliers, especially when they’re overseas.

5. Navigating Sensitive Social Issues

ESG isn’t just about the environment. It’s also about social impact and governance, areas that can get political fast.

The challenge: Deciding when to take a stand and how to communicate it.

6. Consistency Over Time

ESG marketing isn’t a one-off campaign—it’s an ongoing commitment. The hardest part isn’t starting, but sustaining momentum.

The challenge: Keeping the ESG narrative alive across all marketing channels, year after year.

7. Educating Stakeholders

Not every client or even every team member understands ESG. Sometimes, the marketer’s role is part educator, part advocate.

The challenge: Explaining why ESG matters in ways that resonate with different stakeholders.

More Insights on Eco-Friendly Branding

As a response to the growing global concerns over product safety, the International Oeko-Tex Organization was established in Switzerland in 1992. Read more here:

Companies can earn their own EcoVadis certification through a rigorous process that involves assessing their environmental performance against an extensive set of best practices.

The GOTS certification is fundamental if you sell organic clothing because it ensures that all the processes involved in making your textiles are done with a certain standard in mind. Read more.

How could a product be declared eco-friendly? Who makes the declaration? These are all questions the Global Recycled Standard (GRS) can answer.

Final Thoughts

ESG marketing isn’t just another trend; it’s a shift in how brands build trust and stay relevant. For marketers, it means showing that every product, every campaign, and every message carries real value for both people and the planet.

The challenge is making ESG more than just a buzzword. That’s where the right partners make all the difference. At ODM, we specialize in designing and sourcing promotional products that align with your brand’s ESG goals. From eco-friendly materials like rPET, bamboo, and recycled cotton, to factory audits and transparent sourcing, we ensure your products don’t just look good, they tell a story your clients and customers will believe in.

If you’re ready to turn ESG into a competitive advantage, ODM can help you bring those values to life through smarter, more sustainable promotional products.

Frequently Asked Questions

Here are quick answers to the most common questions marketers ask about ESG and sustainability.