Green claims: A brave new world for luxury marketing

November 4, 2025

Amy Nelson-Bennett is CEO of Positive Luxury

The luxury sector stands at a crossroads.

For decades, its marketing playbook has relied on a familiar script: exclusivity, quality, mystery and – ultimately – price. But in a world reshaped by technology, economic uncertainty, climate urgency, social activism and declining trust in institutions, that playbook is increasingly obsolete.

Consumers are still spending, but cautiously.

A brave new world
Their values are being reframed. “Worth it” thinking dominates: purchases must matter, feel meaningful.

Consumers’ scrutiny is also rising, empowered by legislative changes. The development of green claims legislation across luxury’s major markets, alongside the enforcement of consumer-protection laws, marks a watershed moment.

What once dazzled now disenchants. It’s a watershed moment.

It’s a new world for luxury marketers. Spend is more intentional, less impulsive.

Aspiration is being replaced by justification. Consumption is less about display and far more about meaning.

Legacy is no longer a reliable marker of trust; proof is. When promises ring hollow, mystique looks like obfuscation.

Credibility builds trust – the new currency of luxury.

Einstein described insanity as doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. Yet many luxury brands persist with opaque sustainability messaging, vague eco-language and selective storytelling in the belief that that sort of marketing is good enough for their consumers.

Over-cautiously and lazy, they communicate close to nothing, and are not only expanding the luxury value gap, but also risking reputation damage and legal repercussions. Worse, it signals low creativity and failure to evolve and innovate, the factors on which luxury was founded.

Consumers, empowered by social media and regulation, are voting with their wallets.

Regulation is a catalyst
Green claims regulation and best practice are not to be feared, nor are they the enemy of creativity or luxury.

It’s the opposite: an invitation to reimagine how we communicate the value of our brands and our products to today’s consumer. Claims must be clear, accurate, substantiated and not misleading to engage with the consumer.

It’s a chance to showcase responsibility and craftsmanship. A chance to rebuild and deepen trust in a landscape saturated with skepticism.

Measurement, demonstrable progress and independent verification communicated well shout “worth it”. Positive Luxury’s Butterfly Mark certified brands, for example, already embrace traceability and verifiable impact as part of their brand identity.

These Real Changemakers are reducing risk whilst forging closer relationships with their supply chain partners and celebrating the extraordinary human and natural stories behind their products.

They show the care with which its raw materials are grown or mined, how artisans are treated with the respect and care commensurate with their unique skills, and how environmental impact is minimized – not as a footnote, but as a narrative of excellence.

That’s not just compliance. It’s modern luxury.

It means resisting the temptation to “greenwash” or “greenhushing,” so some basic training to build marketeers’ confidence would go a long way – see our recently published Green Claims Guide, developed with legal experts Baker McKenzie. Staying silent out of fear of scrutiny may feel like a safe harbour, but it is, in fact, a self-defeating strategy.

Luxury thrives on emotion and storytelling. That hasn’t changed.

The opportunity now is to apply that same craft to the way we articulate environmental and social impact. Green claims should embrace, not stifle, creative storytelling, creating opportunity for advantage.

Become a rebel with a cause
The transition away from the status quo demands courage to move beyond comfort zones and the leadership to dismantle outdated marketing orthodoxies.

It requires curiosity, imagination and passion – essential qualities of any marketing professional worth their salt and in abundance in the corridors of luxury brands. Brands face two strategic paths. One defensive: managing risk by greenhushing or greencrowding, saying less, hoping compliance alone will suffice.

The other is proactive – managing risk through evidence, openness and ambition, simultaneously proving your brand has the meaning, depth and value luxury consumers crave. This “glass half full” approach is the opportunity to position brands to lead the race to win consumer trust – setting a pace that leaves tiring rivals behind.

Back to Einstein. His enormous success is attributed not just to a brilliant mind but also to a rebellious spirit that gave him the ability to challenge norms and question long-held assumptions.

The luxury sector, and luxury brand turnarounds, have always been fueled by rebellion, from Coco Chanel and Yves Saint Laurent, to Tom Ford, Alexander McQueen and Virgil Abloh. Now is the moment to bring that same pioneering spirit and artistry to luxury brand strategy and marketing communications.

The old playbook crafted for a pre-digital, pre-scrutiny era is finished. What’s needed is a new narrative that marries creativity with credibility, and emotion with evidence.

Sustainability and evidence of responsibility become quality and a source of truth. We need nonconformists at HQs, encouraged by leadership to challenge the marketing status quo.

Because when it comes to brand saliency, silence is not golden. It’s regressive.

Green claims legislation, when understood and embraced with integrity and imagination, not only reduces risk and pressure but also becomes a framework for rebuilding trust, proving you’re worth it. Choose transparency over opacity, courage over caution.

Luxury rebels will rewrite the marketing rulebook. The value of their brands will be crystal clear, and that will be the true mark of modern luxury.

Positive Luxury’s Green Claims Guide, created in partnership with Baker McKenzie, is available to download for free here.

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Green claims: A brave new world for luxury marketing

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