Eco Friendly Guys Finish Last: A Case Against Eco Friendly DTC Brands

Why Sustainability Doesn’t Always Sell — and What to Do Instead

Everywhere I look, DTC brands are pushing eco-friendly products. Heck, even Shopify just blasted out a massive list of eco-resources and product ideas.

But... do they actually sell?

The answer — based on my real-world experience? Yes. And no.

From My Experience: Earth Month Campaigns Flop

Running an eco-friendly brand is the DTC version of “nice guys finish last.”

As a handmade seller coach, I can tell you: Earth Month campaigns are some of our worst-performing emails of the year. We’re talking $0 sales on brands that normally pull 5-6 figures from a single email.

It’s brutal. And it’s consistent.

Here’s why:

• The eco-friendly customer base is tiny. Lots of people say they care. Very few change their buying behavior.

• DTC feels like a contradiction. The eco conscious shopper often sees DTC as inherently wasteful (packaging, shipping, consumption).

Bottom line: it's really, really hard to make the math work.

Real Talk From Other Founders

I recently listened to the Boring Ecom Podcast with Matt Epstein as a guest. This quote stuck with me:

"We onboarded a brand. Super successful guy. The product was eco friendly, but he said: 'Please don’t mention that.We’ve A/B tested it a million times. Nobody cares.We’re actually thinking about dropping the eco friendly part because it costs more, and people won’t pay extra.'"

Depressing? Yes. True? Also yes. I can certainly relate. For this reason, we eventually phased out the eco friendly wood overcaps for pur perfumes at Wicked Good. They cost $0.72 more per unit than the plastic option. At first, it felt like the right move — customers had asked for them, even voted for them in polls. But when it came time to purchase? Crickets.

No one mentioned them. No one thanked us. And they certainly didn’t want to pay extra for them.

Lesson learned? What customers say they want doesn’t always align with how they actually buy. When faced with higher prices or trade-offs in convenience, sustainability often takes a back seat — even for the most well-meaning shoppers.

We’re still committed to making better choices behind the scenes. But now we lead with what matters to customers: performance, experience, and value — and weave in the eco benefits where they support the story, not drive it.

Even Mr. Beast tried launching “better for you” candy — and publicly said no one cared. He pivoted. Even his “give back” videos are some of his worst-performing content (and he has like, infinity reach).

Reminder for Founders + Marketers

If you're a founder: Eco friendly is noble. But it's really hard to build a business around it. Very few brands make it work (and even fewer without controversy). These brands, Bite + Good JuJu are winning where most brands miss—making eco-friendly feel cool, convenient, and better for you, not just the planet.

I once built a brand around giving back. Guess what? Nobody cared. They just liked the cute designs for holiday gifts.

This goes for email marketing too: Nobody cares about invented holidays. Earth Day? National Pizza Day? World Kindness Day? Unless you make it very emotional or very valuable: sale, special drop (we do this a lot: Pizza perfume, anyone?), juicy story, you’ll see crickets.

People want solutions to their problems, not more things to think about.

How to Make Eco Messaging Actually Matter

If you work with eco-friendly brands, stop selling virtue signaling and start aligning with real customer benefits:

• Order more at once → Save money + reduce shipping emissions.

• Buy bigger sizes → Less waste, better value.

• Choose slower shipping → Cheaper + lower environmental impact.

• Focus on durability → Fewer replacements = real sustainability.

You get the idea.S olve problems. Don’t preach.

Some brands hire me specifically to fix this — because it’s hard, but doable (sometimes). Or at least worth testing before going all in.

Use “Fun Days” the Right Way

Line up sales, product drops, or customer education around these events — but use them to highlight how you help the customer, not how amazing and virtuous you are.

People care about themselves first. (This isn’t cynical — it’s marketing 101.)

Eco Thoughts

I have huge respect for any brand trying to make their products more eco friendly, ethical, or sustainable.

It’s a thankless, uphill battle. Maybe in the long run, it’ll be a big differentiator. Maybe not. But you still need to survive long enough to find out.

Before you go — think about why you clicked on this post: Was it to level up your handmade business?Was it because you disagreed and wanted to argue? Or maybe you're thing about starting a new eco friendly DTC brand.

Whatever the reason — that’s the real secret behind good content and subject lines: Spark curiosity. Challenge beliefs. Offer value.

The same applies to how you market eco brands — or any brand, for that matter.

Solve real problems. Connect emotionally. Sell solutions, not slogans.