For more than a decade, sustainability branding followed a familiar script: consensus, momentum, optimism. Net-zero targets were set, standards were agreed, and progress felt inevitable.

That script no longer holds.

Political upheaval, economic pressure and global conflict have reopened debates we once thought were settled, from climate action and manufacturing standards to nature protection and biodiversity. At the same time, climate impacts are accelerating faster than expected, collapsing timelines brands assumed they had decades to work within.

Yet here’s the paradox: we have also achieved more than many thought possible from China surpassing 1000GW of installed solar capacity, to species such as green turtles are recovering to the point they are removed from endangered lists.

This contradiction — progress alongside anxiety, achievement alongside doubt — is why sustainability branding must change in 2026. Not incrementally, but fundamentally.

Below are three reasons why, and what organisations can do now to stay credible, relevant and effective.

1. The era of assumed consensus is over

For years, sustainability branding relied on a shared baseline: that action on climate and nature was broadly agreed and politically stable. That assumption has collapsed.

Debates around net-zero, environmental regulation and corporate responsibility have been reopened, driven by cost-of-living pressures, geopolitical instability and cultural polarisation. Brands can no longer assume their audience starts from the same place, or even trusts the same facts.

What needs to change
Sustainability branding must move away from declarative, one-note messaging (“we’re committed to net-zero”) and towards narrative-building that actively brings people along. That means revisiting the full sustainability story and testing assumptions rather than repeating inherited language.

What you can do now

• Audit your sustainability narrative for unspoken assumptions about audience belief, trust and alignment.
• Replace statements of intent with context: why this matters now, who it benefits, and what trade-offs are being made.
• Invest in consultation and listening, not just comms, to ensure your story reflects the reality your stakeholders are experiencing.
• Create user-led content that lets your stakeholders, clients or customers add an authentic perspective to your sustainability narrative.

2. Doom is paralysing progress — and brands are complicit
   

Climate communications have become trapped in what many now recognise as a “doom loop”: relentless urgency, catastrophic framing, and moral pressure that overwhelms rather than mobilises. The result is counterproductive silence. Our own proprietary research found that while 93% of energy-intensive businesses believe they are making real progress towards net-zero, 36% are not communicating that progress due to fear of being accused of greenwashing. When real progress goes untold, collective momentum stalls.

What needs to change

Sustainability branding must shift from fear-driven narratives to credible optimism. Not false positivity, but evidence-based progress that shows change is possible — and already happening. The reality is nuanced: time has been lost, impacts are accelerating, but meaningful wins are also being achieved. Branding must be capable of holding all three truths at once.

What you can do now

• Start communicating progress with specificity: data, milestones, setbacks and learnings — not vague or unsubstantiated claims.
• Frame sustainability as a shared journey, not a moral verdict. Invite stakeholders into the story at key moments, rather than presenting finished conclusions .
• Build narratives that inspire participation, not perfection. In the right circumstances, with the right information, people do change their minds.
• Use the Government’s Green Code Claims to check your green claims are accurate because today, approximately 40% of green claims made online could be mis-leading.

3. Static sustainability stories can’t survive a moving reality
   

The pace of technological, environmental and political change has exposed a major weakness in traditional sustainability branding: it was built to be finished. Fixed positioning statements, rigid messaging frameworks and campaign-led storytelling struggle to stay relevant when expectations, evidence and strategy evolve year by year.

Instead brands need a living narrative system, one core brand story, supported by audience-specific adaptations that flex in emphasis, proof points and focus while remaining anchored to a central truth.

What needs to change

Sustainability branding must be designed for motion. It needs to carry legacy without being trapped by it, and signal long-term purpose while clearly articulating an evolving role in a changing world.

What you can do now

• Build a central sustainability narrative that can scale across audiences, regions and time horizons — not separate stories for each use case.
• Synthesize complexity into clarity. Pull together flagship programmes, emerging research and stakeholder insight into a layered story that’s easy to use and hard to ignore.
• Treat sustainability branding as strategic infrastructure, not a campaign — something designed to support what comes next, not just what works now.
• Remember that it’s not about redefining yourselves as a sustainable business, but about including a sustainable element to your brand story.

The opportunity in 2026

The challenge is real: lost time, reopened debates, rising scrutiny. But the opportunity is equally real.

We now have proof that change is possible, evidence that progress is happening, and a clearer understanding of what doesn’t work. Brands that adapt their sustainability narratives by grounding them in shared purpose, honest progress and future-focused relevance won’t just protect credibility. They’ll help rebuild belief for your audiences and narrow the gap between paralysis and proactivity.

In 2026, sustainability branding isn’t about saying the right thing. It’s about creating the conditions for people to listen, trust and act.

And that’s a change worth making now.