It has never been clearer that all businesses and brands need to step up their efforts to improve their sustainability. 2023 is barely underway, and from North America to New Zealand, extreme weather reports and environmental disasters are already rolling in.

This urgency has filtered down to consumers. According to recent research from Deloitte, 45% of Gen Z shoppers stopped buying certain brands because of ethical or sustainability concerns. Any brand agency that doesn’t make it a core element of its work is doing a less-than-stellar job and alienating consumers. It’s no longer a matter of creating a policy for the website or making claims of sustainability when only one element of the packaging gets made from recycled material; greenwashing has absolutely no place here, and every agency and design studio should expect to be asked tough questions on a brand’s sustainability positioning and impact.