Nature underpins every economy, from the food we eat to the materials we build with. Yet scientists warn that seven of the nine planetary boundaries that keep Earth stable have now been crossed (Stockholm Resilience Centre, September 2025). The nature-positive economy is a response: an economy that doesn’t just slow the damage, but helps nature recover.

For the past two years, Growfish has been part of GoNaturePositive!, an EU-funded project bringing together researchers, businesses, cities and NGOs to turn that idea into practice. Here’s what the nature-positive economy is, what the project has produced, what its six pilots are testing, and how any business can start becoming nature positive.

What is the nature-positive economy?

GoNaturePositive!’s concept note defines a nature-positive economy as one where “the net result of all economic activities combined leads to an absolute increase in nature”, reaching “the point of full recovery and prosperity for all of society” (GoNaturePositive! concept note).

It connects to the wider global goal of being nature positive: halting and reversing nature loss measured from a 2020 baseline, so that nature is visibly recovering by 2030 and fully restored by 2050 (Nature Positive Initiative).

The building blocks of a nature-positive economy

The concept note sets out three types of action every part of the economy can take:

1. Reduce negative impacts on nature.
2. Increase positive actions, such as nature-based solutions.
3. Enact transformative change in how the economy works.

It also considers which actors are involved, from those with high impacts and dependencies on nature to those who shape the economy and those who hold it to account, alongside scale, sectors and social wellbeing, including equity, justice and inclusion (same source).

Shaped by 750 voices

The concept note was co-created. A draft shared between October and December 2024 received more than 750 responses from stakeholders in 50 countries, generating over 2,000 comments. Three themes stood out: trade-offs between nature-negative and nature-positive activities, accountability and safeguards, and bridging Indigenous and local knowledge (same source).

Read the concept note: Framing the Nature-Positive Economy · Key messages and executive summary · Slide deck

What is GoNaturePositive?

GoNaturePositive! is a collaborative initiative funded by the European Union (Grant Agreement No. 101135264). It brings together 20 partners across 14 countries to accelerate awareness and action towards a nature-positive economy among policymakers, investors, businesses and communities (GoNaturePositive!).

The partners

The consortium is coordinated by Trinity College Dublin and includes (GoNaturePositive!):

Growfish has helped turn complex research into stories that policymakers, businesses and communities can act on. Our work has included:

• Communications strategy: developing the Phase 2 strategy, with key messages for businesses, local communities and academics, and a two-year content calendar.
• Pilot storytelling: writing the web pages for all six pilot sectors, plus social content for the pilots in apiculture, forestry, agri-food and green buildings.
• Publications: designing and collating the Blue Economy Sectoral Brief, and interviewing the Western Development Commission.
• Social media: managing and growing the project’s LinkedIn and Instagram, including content for the IUCN World Conservation Congress, the World Biodiversity Forum, World Environment Day, World Ocean Day and Earth Day.
• Events: helping run three annual general meetings in Ireland, Milan and the Czech Republic, with printed materials, presentation templates, workshops, photography and short-form video.
• Engagement: copy for a public consultation webinar and the Nature-Positive Pioneer Programme.

The six GoNaturePositive! pilots

The project is testing the nature-positive economy in practice through six sector pilots (GoNaturePositive! pilots):

Each pilot has co-created a roadmap to a nature-positive economy in its sector. Read the combined pilot roadmaps, or the individual roadmaps for green buildings, blue economy, food systems, forestry, tourism and apiculture.

Other GoNaturePositive! resources

• What does the nature-positive economy mean to me? One-page guides for businesses, policymakers, finance and investors, nature-based enterprises, NGOs and citizens and communities.
• Sectoral briefs on agri-food, the blue economy, the built environment, forestry and tourism, and a mapping of policies towards the nature-positive economy.
• From concept to measurement, a slide deck on measuring progress.

All are free on the GoNaturePositive! resources page.

How can businesses become nature positive?

Using the concept note’s three types of action, here are practical steps any business can take:

1. Understand your impacts and dependencies. Map where your business affects nature and where it relies on it, from raw materials to water and land. The TNFD’s recommendations, published in September 2023, give a widely used framework for this (TNFD).
2. Reduce negative impacts first. Cut pollution, waste, land use and harmful sourcing in your operations and supply chain.
3. Invest in positive actions. Support or adopt nature-based solutions, such as green roofs, habitat restoration or regenerative sourcing. The green buildings and agri-food pilots show what this looks like in practice.
4. Work with nature-based enterprises. Partner with businesses whose products and services restore nature. GoNaturePositive! is evolving the Connecting Nature Enterprise Platform to help connect them.
5. Measure and report honestly. Track progress with clear indicators and avoid vague claims. From 27 September 2026, EU rules ban generic environmental claims that can’t be backed by recognised excellent environmental performance (COSLAW).
6. Push for transformative change. Use your voice with suppliers, industry bodies and policymakers to change the rules that make nature loss profitable.
7. Bring people with you. Communicate what you’re doing clearly to staff, customers and communities. Change spreads through stories people can understand and act on.

Start with your own digital footprint too: our guide to reducing your digital carbon footprint covers simple steps, from green hosting to extending device lifespans.

FAQs

What is the nature-positive economy? An economy where the combined result of all economic activity leads to an absolute increase in nature, reaching full recovery and prosperity for all of society.

What does nature positive mean? Halting and reversing nature loss, measured from a 2020 baseline, so that nature is recovering by 2030 and fully restored by 2050.

What is GoNaturePositive!? An EU-funded project of 20 partners across 14 countries working to accelerate the transition to a nature-positive economy, through research, policy work and six sector pilots.

How can a business become nature positive? Understand its impacts and dependencies on nature, reduce harm first, invest in positive actions such as nature-based solutions, measure and report honestly, and push for wider change.

What is the difference between nature positive and net zero? Net zero focuses on greenhouse gas emissions. Nature positive focuses on the health of ecosystems and biodiversity. Both are needed, and they often support each other.

Communicating the nature-positive economy

Growfish is a Bristol-based sustainable marketing studio and Communications Lead for GoNaturePositive!. We help purpose-driven organisations explain complex nature and climate work in ways people act on. If you’re working on nature-positive projects and want to tell your story clearly and credibly, we’d love to hear from you.

Get in touch with Growfish · See our GoNaturePositive! work

Sources

• GoNaturePositive!, Concept Note: Framing the Nature-Positive Economy (Zenodo record)
• GoNaturePositive!, home page
• GoNaturePositive!, About and consortium
• GoNaturePositive!, Pilots
• GoNaturePositive!, Resources
• Nature Positive Initiative
• Stockholm Resilience Centre, Seven of nine planetary boundaries now breached, 24 September 2025
• TNFD, About
• COSLAW, Environmental claims after 27 September 2026

GoNaturePositive! is funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are those of the author only.

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For more information about growing your sustainable business with a sustainable marketing strategy, get in touch with a member of the team at growfish.co. We’d love to hear form you!

The best sustainable marketing doesn’t just say a brand is green. It shows what the brand is actually doing, invites people to take part, and backs every claim with evidence. Here are 10 real examples of sustainable marketing campaigns, what made each one work, one that went wrong, and how to apply the lessons in 2026.

What is sustainable marketing?

Sustainable marketing promotes products, services and ideas in a way that creates lasting value for the business, people and the planet. It is honest about impact, backs claims with evidence, and often encourages people to buy less, buy better or change everyday habits. For a deeper comparison, see our guide to sustainable vs traditional marketing.

Why sustainable marketing matters in 2026

• Customers say they want it. In PwC’s 2024 Voice of the Consumer survey of more than 20,000 people in 31 countries and territories, 80% said they were willing to pay more for sustainably produced or sourced goods (PwC, May 2024).
• Vague claims now carry real risk. Since 6 April 2025, the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority can fine businesses up to 10% of global turnover for breaking consumer law, including through misleading environmental claims (Fieldfisher). From 27 September 2026, EU rules also ban generic claims such as “eco-friendly” unless they can be backed by recognised excellent environmental performance (COSLAW).

That’s why the examples below share one thing: something real behind the message.

10 examples of sustainable marketing campaigns

1. Patagonia: “Don’t Buy This Jacket”

On Black Friday, 25 November 2011, Patagonia ran a full-page ad in The New York Times headlined “Don’t Buy This Jacket”. It explained that each garment “emits several times its weight in greenhouse gases” and generates waste, and asked readers to think before they bought (Patagonia).

Why it worked: it turned the biggest shopping day of the year into a conversation about consumption, and it was believable because it matched Patagonia’s long-standing repair and reuse message.

2. Patagonia: “Earth is now our only shareholder”

On 14 September 2022, founder Yvon Chouinard announced that Patagonia’s ownership had been transferred to the Patagonia Purpose Trust and the Holdfast Collective, a nonprofit. Profits not reinvested in the business are now paid out each year to fight the environmental crisis (Patagonia).

Why it worked: the message was the structure itself. A single, memorable line summed up a change that couldn’t be dismissed as greenwashing.

3. IKEA: “Fortune Favours the Frugal”

Launched in the UK and Ireland on 1 January 2021 with the agency Mother, this campaign recast frugality as something good for people and the planet, encouraging moderation over excess (Creative Moment).

Why it worked: it linked sustainability to saving money, a benefit everyone understands, rather than asking people to sacrifice.

4. IKEA: Buy Back and Resell

IKEA UK buys back assembled IKEA furniture in exchange for a refund card. Items in good condition are resold in stores’ Re-shop and Re-use sections, and IKEA Family members get 15% more on the offer (IKEA UK).

Why it worked: it made the circular choice easy and rewarding, and it brings customers back into stores.

5. adidas x Parley for the Oceans

Announced on Earth Day 2015, the partnership made shoes and clothing using Parley Ocean Plastic, upcycled from marine plastic waste. According to Parley, adidas made around 1 million pairs of shoes with it in 2017, 5 million in 2018 and 11 million in 2019 (Parley).

Why it worked: it turned an environmental problem into a desirable product, and the rising production figures showed it was more than a one-off.

6. Carlsberg: Snap Pack

In 2019, Carlsberg replaced plastic rings on its multipacks with Snap Pack, which glues cans together. Carlsberg says it cuts plastic use on multipacks by up to 76% (Carlsberg Group).

Why it worked: the change was visible every time someone picked up a pack, so the product did the marketing.

7. Who Gives a Crap: humour with a purpose

This Melbourne-born toilet paper brand uses cheeky humour to sell recycled and bamboo toilet paper. It invests 50% of its profits in clean water, sanitation and sustainability, with partners including WaterAid Australia, and says it has raised £11,191,773 to date (Who Gives a Crap).

Why it worked: humour made a dull product memorable, and a specific, published figure made the impact credible.

8. Fairphone: designed to be repaired

Amsterdam-based Fairphone makes long-lasting phones, sells spare parts and repair tutorials, runs a take-back programme, and sources conflict-free tin and tungsten through a transparent supply chain (European Circular Economy Stakeholder Platform).

Why it worked: it competes on values most phone brands can’t claim, and the repairability is something customers can test for themselves.

9. Wonderful Copenhagen: CopenPay

Copenhagen’s tourism organisation rewards visitors with free experiences for green actions such as cycling or collecting litter. Participation grew from 5,000 people in the 2024 pilot to 25,000 in 2025, and 7 in 10 participants said they left motivated to change everyday habits (Wonderful Copenhagen). TIME named it one of its Best Inventions of 2025, and it became permanent and year-round in June 2026 (Wonderful Copenhagen).

Why it worked: it rewards good behaviour instead of shaming bad behaviour, and it publishes measured results. Read more in our guide to sustainability in Copenhagen.

10. Bye Bye Plastic Bags

Sisters Melati and Isabel Wijsen started Bye Bye Plastic Bags in Bali in 2013, when they were 12 and 10. In 2019, Bali banned single-use plastics including bags, straws and Styrofoam (World Economic Forum).

Why it worked: a clear, simple ask and authentic messengers showed how campaigning can shift both behaviour and policy.

A cautionary example: Oatly

In 2022, the UK Advertising Standards Authority investigated Oatly ads after 109 complaints and found that the brand had failed to substantiate four of the five environmental claims challenged. One example: a claim of “73% less CO2e” than cow’s milk was read as applying to all Oatly products, when the evidence covered only its Barista Edition oat drink (RPC).

The lesson: a good cause doesn’t excuse a loose claim. Make sure every figure applies exactly to what the reader will think it means. Our guide to avoiding greenwashing covers this in more detail.

Sustainable marketing strategies these examples use

Key takeaways

1. Lead with action, not adjectives. Each example points to something concrete the brand did.
2. Publish the numbers. Specific, sourced figures, like Who Gives a Crap’s donations or CopenPay’s results, build trust.
3. Make people part of it. The strongest campaigns give customers a role, from selling back furniture to cycling for a free lunch.
4. Keep claims precise. As Oatly shows, a claim that is broader than its evidence can undo the good work.
5. Be consistent over time. Patagonia’s campaigns land because they match decades of behaviour.

Want to build a sustainable marketing campaign?

Growfish is a sustainable marketing studio working exclusively with purpose-driven organisations. If you’d like help turning real sustainability work into a campaign people trust, we’d love to hear from you.

FAQs

What is an example of sustainable marketing? Patagonia’s 2011 “Don’t Buy This Jacket” ad is one of the best-known, asking customers to think before they buy.

What is the difference between green marketing and sustainable marketing? Green marketing promotes a product’s environmental benefits. Sustainable marketing covers environmental, social and economic impact across the whole business.

How do you avoid greenwashing in sustainable marketing? Make specific claims, back them with evidence that matches exactly what you’re claiming, and avoid vague words such as “eco-friendly”. See our list of key sustainability terms.

Sources

• PwC, 2024 Voice of the Consumer survey press release, 15 May 2024
• Fieldfisher, Greenwashing under scrutiny: the CMA’s new powers
• COSLAW, Environmental claims after 27 September 2026
• Patagonia, Don’t Buy This Jacket, Black Friday and the New York Times
• Patagonia, Earth is now our only shareholder
• Creative Moment, IKEA launches Fortune Favours the Frugal
• IKEA UK, Buy Back and Resell
• Parley for the Oceans, adidas x Parley
• Carlsberg Group, Snap Pack
• Who Gives a Crap, Our impact
• European Circular Economy Stakeholder Platform, Fairphone
• Wonderful Copenhagen, CopenPay press kit
• Wonderful Copenhagen, CopenPay goes year-round, 9 June 2026
• World Economic Forum, Melati Wijsen, 10 February 2020
• RPC, Oatly ads banned for misleading climate claims, 8 June 2022

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For more information about growing your sustainable business with a sustainable marketing strategy, get in touch with a member of the team at growfish.co. We’d love to hear form you!