Positioning around ‘sustainability’ has probably never been more difficult. The glory days of Greta Thunberg, tote bag activism and weekly climate marches are long gone. Eco-anxiety has given way to good old-fashioned existential dread.

But brands are still taking swings, finding new ways to communicate an eco message whilst growing their brands and categories.

Today’s story looks at two recent campaigns from the same category but with completely opposite messages and strategies. I’m calling it…

This episode is brought to you by Who Gives a Crap.

I think these guys have it figured out. The perfect trinity of a purpose-driven brand.
A product that’s sustainable but performs without compromise.
A business model that’s charitable but commercially focused.
And marketing that makes you either laugh or cry.

It’s worth clicking these links (especially the last one).

Meet people where they are.

UK cleaning brand Ecover has run some great campaigns over the years. Like the ‘Laundry against Landfill’ campaign in 2020. They’re back at it again, partnering with Uncommon Creative Studio to launch their new dishwasher tablets.

The campaign taps into a relatable truth: most of us run the dishwasher when it’s not full (and that’s pretty wasteful).

Instead of going all-in on product claims, the ads use visual gags to make the message stick, comparing dishwasher loading to things we do take seriously… like packing for a big move or fitting a week’s worth of clothes into carry-on luggage

To me, this is the sweet spot. It delivers an eco message without sounding preachy or dull.
The product innovation - tablets with no wrapper, tightly packed into a smaller box - plays the support act. It reduces waste and shipping emissions across the product’s lifecycle. But they didn’t make that the story.

Instead, they focused on something playful and thought-provoking that earns attention and earns its place in culture.

The other side

Just over the pond, Proctor & Gamble’s Cascade brand is playing the same game with a different approach. They’re going hard with their “Do It Every Night” campaign.

The premise is running your dishwasher every night (even when it's not full) is better for the planet than handwashing.

The creative idea is centred around the hilarious gag of couples talking about how they “do it every night”, then cutting to the dramatic reveal that they are talking about running their dishwasher, not having sex. I’m kinda rolling my eyes here.

The campaign aims to reframe a common misconception: that dishwashers are water-wasters. Cascade wants to flip that script - positioning nightly runs as not just convenient, but eco-conscious.

Of course, some critics have cried greenwashing. Telling people to run half-full dishwashers does feel a bit too convenient if you sell detergent. Even Cascade’s own experts admit a full load is more efficient. Their point is this: most people waste far more water handwashing while waiting for that perfect full load. If nightly runs replace that behaviour, it’s a net environmental win.

To support the claim, Cascade backed the campaign with Energy Star data, sustainability partnerships, and a waterway restoration initiative. The tone is upbeat, not preachy - no guilt trips, just a “dirty little secret” revealed with a wink and a solution.

And here’s the kicker: it’s working. Cascade has reported a lift in sales and a broader increase in category engagement. Sometimes, blunt and bold beats subtle and slow - especially when you’ve got scale on your side.

People buy value, not values

What makes both of these campaigns effective is that they don’t lead with sustainability for sustainability’s sake.
They centre their eco messaging around something the audience actually cares about: value.

Let’s be real - in categories like cleaning and dishwashing, price is still king. Shoppers aren’t scanning the shelf for cardboard box specs or recycled logos. They’re thinking: Does it work? Is it good value?

That’s why these campaigns hit. Both Ecover and Cascade wrap their sustainability message inside more pressing, relatable needs.

Ecover plays to efficiency - no one wants to waste money, energy, or time.
Cascade plays to convenience - skip the sink, save time, feel good.

Even if the eco angle is abstracted, the campaigns translate it into everyday logic.
They don’t talk about emissions, solar panels, or supply chain audits. They talk about you. Your habits. Your household. Your water bill.

And that’s the trick. When sustainability serves the shopper, not just the brand’s conscience, it starts to stick.

When sustainability isn’t sustainable

This category and topic is front-of-mind for me this week after the announcement that Aussie eco cleaning startup, Zero Co, is closing.

I’ve got some history here. We launched our brand Cove at the same time and in the same space, just with a very different model. Mike, Zero Co’s founder, didn’t love that. He was pretty public about it, so no - we weren’t exactly mates.

But still, it sucks to see them winding up.

Their commitment to eliminating waste - no single-use plastic, ever - was bold. But it came with baggage: a complex, expensive, and operationally tough model to scale. In the end, it just wasn’t financially sustainable.

That said, I have a lot of respect for how they’ve handled the exit.
Closing the business while still solvent and returning money to investors? That’s rare. Especially when you’ve raised $7 million from everyday Australians through crowdfunding. That takes integrity.

And it brings us full circle.

You can have the best intentions in the world but if your sustainability strategy doesn’t work for the shopper, or the business model can’t scale, good intentions won’t keep the lights on.

That’s the challenge we all face in FMCG.
Sustainability matters. But only if it’s sustainable for the consumer and the company.

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