How Brands Can Live at the Intersection of Wellness and Sustainability

By Kathy Delaney , Chief Creative Officer at Saatchi & Saatchi Wellness

As an organization positioned around spreading wellness in the world, there is one topic that is always top of mind for us, and it probably isn’t what most people would expect. The climate crisis is not just something plastered across news outlets and worriedly whispered about between friends—it’s a profound problem that impacts every aspect of our lives.

Traditionally, there has been a negative sentiment toward the future of our planet, but this outlook is rapidly evolving into something even more grave. While previous generations felt largely pessimistic about the future of the environment, today we're witnessing a significant downward trend in sentiment, especially among younger generations, of not just climate pessimism, but climate fatalism—the belief that there is nothing that can be done to solve the climate emergency.

This isn't merely a massive physical problem. It's deeply emotional, and affects how young people perceive their future. This profound sense of eco-grief and climate fatalism in younger generations has reshaped the way that they interact with the world and the choices that they make.

Consumers are more aware of the environmental impact of their actions than ever before. Even for beloved brands, there's hesitation to spend if it means compromising their value of sustainability. So, the question then becomes in light of this shifting landscape, what is the role of a wellness brand? How can a brand navigate and contribute positively to this emotionally charged, environmentally conscious market without greenwashing?

Wellness and sustainability are inextricably intertwined

Let's talk first about how interconnected sustainability and wellness really are. A core part of wellness is about living by our values. When we choose brands that support our values, we feel well. When a customer can choose to support a brand, product, or service because the purpose of the brand closely aligns with their value of sustainability, a deeper, more authentic brand relationship is created. For example, while many categories have addressed the growing value of sustainable living as a point of differentiation, we saw an opportunity in the wellness industry to answer customer desire for more sustainability in their lives by rethinking today’s standard prescription plastic bottle delivery format and designing a more sustainable delivery option for the future of the industry.

Leveraging eco-design to make the future of wellness more sustainable

Eco-design is a way wellness brands can fulfill their purpose and contribute to the core consumer value of sustainability. Eco-design is an approach to designing products and services that give special consideration to their environmental impact over their entire lifecycle. It can be defined by several key objectives, including restricting the use of non-renewable resources, limiting energy consumption, minimizing the transportation of goods and people, and reducing the potential for waste.

Many brands across various categories have successfully adopted and proven the effectiveness of integrating sustainability into their products and aligning them with consumer wellness values. For an industry like healthcare that often remains ahead of the curve in terms of innovation, it’s surprising that few healthcare brands have embraced this approach. There's some irony in this, given that billions of plastic pill bottles end up in landfills and ocean dumps every year. It was this observation that sparked an idea within our agency—could we leverage our tools and talents as a wellness agency to design a creative solution to this major problem?

Enter the Prescription Paper Pill Bottle: a compostable, biodegradable alternative to plastic that meets FDA regulations for child safety, water resistance, lightness, and labeling—and is accessible via an online open-source design. A sustainable solution to a seemingly intractable problem.

This packaging design was meticulously crafted, following 12 months of prototyping and numerous iterations and experiments with different techniques like paper molding. The choice to adopt an open-source template for the design was an easy one, enabling other companies to download and utilize the design in their own processes at no cost. The Prescription Paper Pill Bottle exemplifies a product whose design fulfills its function and continues to champion sustainability throughout its lifecycle.

The Prescription Paper Pill Bottle is also a prime example of identifying a need in the market and approaching our solution with the values dimension of wellness in mind. As awareness and concern for the effects of non-recyclable waste on climate change, physical and mental health, and economic growth continues to increase, alongside the alarming accumulation of plastic in our landfills and oceans, this packaging innovation ignited a much-needed conversation, particularly in the healthcare space, among clients and agencies alike. The campaign's impact is evident in its viral reach, generating over 54 million media impressions and prompting hundreds of companies to reconsider the role their products may play in how they impact the planet.

How can health and wellness brands determine if they have an authentic opportunity to embrace sustainability?

While it's clear that understanding the wellness value of sustainability and how a brand can fulfill this need for its consumers is beneficial, there are inevitable challenges associated with integrating eco-design and sustainable practices into marketing strategies. Wellness brands must understand these before they start promoting sustainability.

Brands must be prepared to act if they intend to incorporate sustainability into their strategy and ethos. Sustainability is not a superficial concern or a badge to be pasted onto a product. Any environmental claim must be backed by substantial proof of its truth. Brands must embody the essence of sustainability and avoid greenwashing if they aspire to market their products as such. Brands can address this challenge by consulting resources like the FTC Green Guides, or working with agencies that consult in establishing sustainability as a brand value.

Embracing sustainability isn't just about corporate responsibility. It's a catalyst for widespread wellness. Engaging in conversations about these initiatives isn't just beneficial—it's essential. It's a chance to innovate and lead by example to help create a better future.

There is power in understanding that wellness brands have the opportunity to connect with consumers at a deeper level when they understand the value of sustainability and initiate real change. We can inspire, please, delight, soothe, and educate all at once, leveraging our brand's unique strengths to inspire more wellness in our consumers, and do well by the planet, too.