Earth Day Turtle

Earth Day: One Week On

By Cat • 28 April 2021

Oh, Earth Day. It's always a mixed bag of emotions for us here at MindfulCommerce. Yes - it's nice to see brands raising their game. Yes - it raises a degree of awareness... Yes - some businesses are going out of their way to make true impact...

And yet... Has Earth Day become something of a box-ticking exercise? A few worthy social media posts, and that's our bit done for the year? A feel-good free pass for corporations' greenwashing?

For most of the brands associated with the MindfulCommerce Community, we know that you're putting in the effort where it really counts – 365 days of the year. We see it, we hear about it and we celebrate it.

Under Pressure: What's Sustainable?

But for all we scoff at the big brands' Earth Day tokenism, how much are we really doing to keep the momentum up and the pressure on, each and every day? It's been a week since Earth Day 2021 - hand on heart, are you posting with as much passion and drive as you did for those 24 hours? Is every day Earth Day for your own brand?

We can't answer that question for you - but it's food for thought. How can we keep our levels of motivation and determination strong, all year round? How can we protect ourselves from the draining effect of seeing big businesses applauded for doing the bare minimum?

We think the answer lies in community. The MindfulCommerce movement exists to help growing brands remember that we're greater than the sum of our parts. And that, for all we might not be able to make the grand gestures that massive international retailers roll out once a year - we're chipping away, creating cumulative change - and that (quite literally) means the world.

Let's explore a couple of Earth Day campaigns that we felt hit some of the right notes...

Great Examples Of Earth Day Campaigns

The Brand: Organic Basics

The Campaign: 100% profits to Rewilding Europe

Organic Basics

Why we liked it:

Organic Basics are the masters of cutting the crap! When it comes to straightforward, eco-initiatives, they keep things simple - and it's beautiful. Their Earth Day email campaign was a great example of this.

  • A totally transparent campaign - 100% of profits to the charity, for the whole of Earth Day. They even define exactly what they mean by 100 % of profits.

  • No product features - the email isn't used as an excuse to promote or position products - no product images feature in the email at all.

  • Championing their charity - instead of pushing their own products, Organic Basics dedicate the vast majority of the email to promoting the work of the charity that they're supporting

The Brand: Levis 247

The Campaign: Shop less. Wear longer.

Levis Earth Day

Why we liked it:

Denim doesn't have a great rep when it comes to sustainability. As a resource-intense textile, it's known to have a high environmental impact. You'd think that Earth Day would be a hard sell for Levis as a result. But they've taken a smart approach by targeting the issue of overconsumption.

  • Directly appealing to customers to buy less, they pair written copy with to highlight the huge problem of overconsumption within the fashion industry.

  • Leading with stats. The writing's on the wall with these - no wishy-washy slogans, just cold, hard facts.

  • The campaign is represented by a diverse range of activists.

The Brand: The Body Shop

The Campaign: The Planet Won't Wait For Us

The planet won't wait

Why we liked it:

The Body Shop has long held a strong association with a more ethical, sustainable approach when it comes to the cosmetic and beauty industry. Their Earth Day mailing applies a wide-angled lens to the bigger issues at stake, rather than focusing too much on "one day of activism."

  • The email outlines multiple ways in which the company is trying to make more positive changes, linking to clear information - i.e. impact that goes beyond "just one day."

  • A strong focus on their sustainability plans as a business

  • Use of trust badges - clearly gives a visual shorthand for best practice.

Same Time, Next Year?

Let's fast forward to this time next year. Wouldn't it be amazing to say that we'd managed to keep the passion, the ambition and the motivation of Earth Day running? That we'd kept our messaging focused, and our audiences fired up? That we had something to show for the 364 days that didn't come with a handy hashtag?

That's what the MindfulCommerce movement is all about. If you're in - if you truly believe that every day should be Earth Day (and you're not just feeling a bit cynical about the whole venture!) then please, join us - we've got work to do!

Join the free MindfulCommerce Community!