Turning the Tide: How Brands Can Engage Consumers on Water Sustainability
Julie Starr • January 30, 2025
Online conversations about water sustainability are surging. According to Diageo’s latest report, social media discussions on this topic have grown by 186% year over year, reflecting a significant shift in consumer interest. With over 94.3 million search and social media interactions, water pollution, climate change, and regional water crises are dominating discussions.
As digital engagement experts, Taiga Company understands that brands must not only participate in these conversations but lead them in a way that is authentic, action-driven, and impactful. Here’s how brands can navigate this rising tide of interest in water sustainability while leveraging digital strategies that drive real engagement.
Why Water Sustainability Matters to Your Audience
Diageo’s report highlights several key takeaways for brands looking to communicate effectively about water sustainability:
- Consumers expect brands to take action – Messaging should showcase tangible sustainability efforts, not just corporate commitments.
- Emotive storytelling increases engagement – Brands that use powerful storytelling techniques see up to a 33% boost in engagement.
- Timing and relevance are critical – Water-related conversations spike seasonally and regionally. For instance, in India, discussions peak during the monsoon season, while in Mexico, the ongoing water crisis fuels year-round concern.
- Digital-first strategies are a must – Social media, PR, and digital campaigns drive consumer awareness and action.
Brands that align their content, messaging, and engagement strategies with these findings will be best positioned to connect with consumers in meaningful ways.
How Taiga Company Helps Brands Drive Meaningful Engagement
At Taiga Company, we specialize in helping brands connect with purpose-driven audiences through strategic digital engagement. Here’s how we can help your brand capitalize on the growing interest in water sustainability:
- Brand Strategy & Thought Leadership - Water sustainability is more than a trending topic—it’s a movement. We help position your brand as an industry leader by crafting compelling narratives and thought leadership strategies that align with consumer concerns.
- Stakeholder Engagement & Digital Campaigns - Brands that actively engage in these conversations see stronger consumer trust and loyalty. We develop impact-driven digital campaigns that resonate across social media, industry networks, and key global markets.
- Corporate Communications & PR - Consumers demand authenticity and action. We craft transparent, results-focused PR strategies that showcase your brand’s sustainability initiatives in ways that build trust and credibility.
- Social Media Marketing & Community Building - With conversations around water sustainability happening online in real-time, brands need an agile social media strategy to stay relevant. Our team creates engaging, data-driven social content that drives awareness, advocacy, and action.
The Time to Act Is Now
Consumers are paying attention, and brands that communicate their water sustainability efforts effectively will stand out. By aligning your messaging with the right timing, storytelling, and digital strategy, you can build deeper connections with environmentally conscious audiences.
At Taiga Company, we help brands amplify their voice, engage their audience, and drive impact. Let’s make waves together.
The best branding doesn’t always come from big campaigns or expensive graphics. Sometimes it’s the smaller stuff that leaves the biggest impression. Things people actually use, touch, or carry with them. That’s where your brand can quietly make its mark without needing to shout about it. If you’re only focusing on social media and business cards, you’re leaving a lot on the table. Here are five overlooked ways to get your name out there that feel natural, useful, and more personal. Thank-you slips If you’re already sending out orders, there’s no reason not to include a short thank-you slip. You can easily get these made through any decent online print shop , and they’re usually pretty cheap to run off in small batches. Just a simple note that says thanks, maybe with a reminder to follow you online or a cheeky discount code for next time. It’s quick, thoughtful, and makes the whole order feel more finished. Customers notice that kind of detail, especially when everything else they buy online comes with zero personality. You don’t need a complicated design either. Just something clean with your logo, a message that sounds like you, and maybe a social handle. The point is to give them a reason to come back or remember your name without it feeling forced. Branded zip pouches If you sell physical products, offer services, or run events, small zip pouches are surprisingly effective. Think of the kind you’d use for stationery, receipts, or travel bits. You can get your brand printed on the side and hand them out with purchases or include them in welcome packs. People keep them because they’re actually useful. They get tossed in handbags, school bags, or glove boxes and your logo just keeps turning up. Cleaning cloths for glasses or screens This one works brilliantly if you’re in tech, health, beauty, or anything involving screens or eyewear. A simple microfibre cloth with your branding on it can go a long way. Everyone needs one. Whether they use it for glasses, a phone screen, or their laptop, it’s something they hang onto. It’s not the kind of thing people throw away, and that means your name sticks around too. Receipt envelopes You might already use little envelopes to hand over receipts or business cards. Branding those envelopes is a small change that makes a big difference. Instead of someone getting a scruffy bit of paper in a plain sleeve, they’re handed something that feels a bit more finished. You can even add a message inside. Doesn’t need to be anything dramatic. A simple “thanks for visiting” or “see you next time” is enough to add a personal touch. Wet wipes or mini hand gels If your business is in hospitality, food, or anything hands-on, branded wet wipes or pocket-sized hand gels are surprisingly popular. People actually use them, especially at festivals, food stalls, pop-ups, or kids’ events. They end up in handbags or cars and stick around longer than you think. They don’t scream “marketing” either. They’re practical, and when done right, they make your business feel thoughtful. That’s what good branding does, it shows you’ve thought ahead.
What happens when students stop waiting for adults to fix things and start conducting their own energy audits? Money gets saved. The lights get switched off. Data gets analyzed. And a quiet revolution in sustainability begins—inside schools that once overlooked their own inefficiencies. Across the globe, student-led energy audits are proving that change doesn't always need to come from a policy shift or a major capital budget. Sometimes, it begins with a clipboard, a spreadsheet, and a group of curious minds asking: Why are the hallway lights on at noon when sunlight floods the building? The Energy Detectives These audits aren’t science fair projects. They’re rigorous investigations, often done in collaboration with facilities staff, local environmental nonprofits, or even engineering mentors. Students go from classroom to classroom measuring electricity usage, checking for phantom loads , and identifying where heat is escaping in winter or air conditioning is leaking in summer. One high school in Ontario saved over $12,000 a year after its Grade 11 physics students ran an energy audit and suggested simple changes—LED upgrades, motion sensors in bathrooms, and smarter heating schedules. They didn’t just propose ideas. They pitched them with spreadsheets, thermal images, and payback timelines. It worked. Learning That Pays Off—Literally Unlike textbook learning, these audits blend real-world math, environmental science, economics, and persuasive communication. Students aren’t just learning about sustainability. They’re doing it. And the savings add up. From dimming overlit hallways to reprogramming HVAC systems that run all weekend for empty buildings, students are surfacing blind spots that administrators often overlook. In some districts, their findings are influencing energy policy. Elsewhere, the audits have inspired school boards to hire sustainability coordinators—often alumni of the student programs themselves. There’s something poetic about a school funding new books or laptops from money saved by students who found out the vending machines didn’t need to be plugged in 24/7. Why This Matters More Than Ever With education budgets tightening and utility costs rising, every dollar saved is a dollar that can go back into classrooms. And here’s where it gets interesting from a family finance perspective, too. If you’re a parent setting aside money for post-secondary savings, every bit of school efficiency helps. Fewer energy costs might mean more programming, better STEM facilities, or even bursaries. That raises a broader point: when families save for their children’s future, they often look into RESPs (Registered Education Savings Plans). And many wonder—is a RESP deduction available on my taxes? While contributions themselves aren’t deductible, the gains grow tax-free, and students often pay little to no tax when they withdraw the funds during school. A Movement Worth Replicating These audits aren’t just an exercise in environmentalism. They’re leadership labs. Students learn how to spot inefficiencies, speak up in board meetings, and make a business case for change. They don’t just flip switches—they shift mindsets. And they carry these habits into adulthood. The result? A generation growing up not only with climate anxiety, but also with tools to tackle it.