Receipts, Please: Marketing With Transparency and Proof
- Ivonna Young
- Apr 23
- 3 min read
How to Prove Your Sustainability Claims and Build Customer Trust
“We’re committed to sustainability.”
Great. So is everyone else. What makes you different—and why should anyone believe you?
In 2025, believability is currency. Whether you're pitching an investor, expanding into new markets, or trying to move product in a saturated space, you don’t just need a good story.
You need a verifiable one.
Because sustainability without proof isn’t a strategy—it’s a story that won’t hold up.
Transparency = Trust. And Trust Converts.
This isn’t about sounding good in a press release.It’s about performing where it counts:
Revenue. Retention. ROI.
78% of U.S. consumers say sustainability matters when they shop (McKinsey x NielsenIQ, 2023)—but over half don’t trust what brands say without proof. Meanwhile, PwC reports that 94% of investors expect companies to disclose how they measure ESG performance and progress.
If your marketing can’t back up your sustainability claims with evidence, you’re not just eroding brand trust—you’re leaving both revenue and capital on the table.
In other words: the fastest-growing brands aren’t just values-driven.They’re data-backed.
Where Most Brands Get It Wrong
Let’s not sugarcoat it. Most sustainability marketing falls flat.Vague promises. Minimal context. Maybe a recycled poly stat buried on a product page.
It’s not enough. Not for your customers.Definitely not for your investors.And if we’re being honest—not for your margins either.
The solution? Start marketing your proof, not just your position.
At The Lavender Agency, I work with fashion, beauty, and lifestyle leaders who are ready to treat sustainability not as a side note—but as a strategic sales lever.
Our marketing strategy sessions help you:
Translate sustainability metrics into compelling customer messaging
Identify proof points you're overlooking and elevate them across channels
Build a marketing narrative that works for press, pitch decks, and product pages
Use transparency to command higher LTV, deeper loyalty, and stronger conversion
This isn’t about being performative. It’s about being profitable.
Sustainability That Sells
Brands with transparency baked into their customer experience perform better.According to Nosto’s 2023 Consumer Loyalty Survey, these brands see up to:
34% higher repeat purchase rates
20% faster conversion times
Why? Because customers trust what they can verify—and they buy from brands they trust.
If your marketing still relies on aspirational language and not actual numbers, you’re overpaying for acquisition and under-leveraging the most powerful story you already own: what you’re actually doing.
Ready to Make It Real?
If you're scaling and want your sustainability story to do more than sit in a slide deck, let’s talk.
We’ll look at what’s working, what’s missing, and where your marketing could be more strategic—and more credible.
It’s a chance to explore the possibilities and see if there’s a smarter way to connect your values to real results.
Because when your brand backs up what it says, customers don’t just buy—they believe.
📚 Catch Up on the Full Series
Receipts, Please is the final installment in this month’s four-part series on sustainable marketing strategy. If you’re just joining us—or want to revisit the insights that brought us here—start from the top:
How to Market Your Brand’s Sustainability Efforts Without Greenwashing
Lays the foundation: why sustainability matters, what authenticity looks like, and how to avoid performative messaging.
How to Talk About Sustainability in Your Marketing Without Sounding Generic
How to uncover, structure, and articulate meaningful sustainable actions that resonate and build real trust.
How to Visually Communicate Your Brand’s Eco Values Without Clichés
Forget crunchy tropes—this is for brands ready to reflect sustainability in a way that’s modern, aspirational, and on-brand.
Receipts, Please: Marketing With Transparency and Proof
How to Prove Your Sustainability Claims and Build Customer Trust
You're here. Let’s make sure what you're saying aligns with what you're showing—and what you're earning.
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