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How to Communicate Your Sustainability Message | Marketing Advisor Thomas Kolster Explains
Every brand spent the last decade claiming they were saving the planet. Consumers stopped believing them.
Long story short: Consumer trust in sustainability messaging is at an all-time low. After a decade of brands positioning themselves as planet-savers, greenwashing scandals, and purpose claims that didn't hold up to scrutiny, most consumers have tuned out and most brands have followed by going quiet.
But the problems haven't gone away. The regulations are still coming. The plastic is still in the oceans. And the brands that figure out how to communicate authentically right now will have the space almost entirely to themselves.
In this episode of Life in Plastic, host Joel Tasche sits down with Thomas Kolster, author of 'The Hero Trap' and one of the earliest voices to call the sustainability backlash before it hit.
Together they dig into why purpose-led marketing failed, what brands in the CPG and consumer goods space should be saying instead, and why 2026 might be the best moment in years to establish your brand as a credible voice in this space.
What you'll learn in this episode:
- Why "purpose-led" marketing eroded consumer trust and what the Hero Trap actually is
- The 39% gap between sustainable intent and purchase behavior, and how to close it
- Why marketing and sustainability operate like two different planets and how to bridge them
- The one question every brand needs to answer before communicating their impact
- Why most of your competitors going silent right now is the biggest opening you've had in years
- How to shift from "look at what we're doing" to "here's who we can help you become"
About Thomas Kolster
Thomas Kolster is a Copenhagen-based marketing activist, author, and speaker who has spent two decades working at the intersection of sustainability and brand strategy. He is the author of Goodvertising and The Hero Trap, and has advised brands, nonprofits, and governments across more than 60 countries. He is widely recognized as one of the first voices to publicly challenge the purpose-washing trend in mainstream marketing.
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By CleanHubEvery brand spent the last decade claiming they were saving the planet. Consumers stopped believing them.
Long story short: Consumer trust in sustainability messaging is at an all-time low. After a decade of brands positioning themselves as planet-savers, greenwashing scandals, and purpose claims that didn't hold up to scrutiny, most consumers have tuned out and most brands have followed by going quiet.
But the problems haven't gone away. The regulations are still coming. The plastic is still in the oceans. And the brands that figure out how to communicate authentically right now will have the space almost entirely to themselves.
In this episode of Life in Plastic, host Joel Tasche sits down with Thomas Kolster, author of 'The Hero Trap' and one of the earliest voices to call the sustainability backlash before it hit.
Together they dig into why purpose-led marketing failed, what brands in the CPG and consumer goods space should be saying instead, and why 2026 might be the best moment in years to establish your brand as a credible voice in this space.
What you'll learn in this episode:
- Why "purpose-led" marketing eroded consumer trust and what the Hero Trap actually is
- The 39% gap between sustainable intent and purchase behavior, and how to close it
- Why marketing and sustainability operate like two different planets and how to bridge them
- The one question every brand needs to answer before communicating their impact
- Why most of your competitors going silent right now is the biggest opening you've had in years
- How to shift from "look at what we're doing" to "here's who we can help you become"
About Thomas Kolster
Thomas Kolster is a Copenhagen-based marketing activist, author, and speaker who has spent two decades working at the intersection of sustainability and brand strategy. He is the author of Goodvertising and The Hero Trap, and has advised brands, nonprofits, and governments across more than 60 countries. He is widely recognized as one of the first voices to publicly challenge the purpose-washing trend in mainstream marketing.