Shake the greenwash: Why India’s sustainability story needs data, not drama

As the sustainability narrative in India matures at pace, brands have never been under greater scrutiny. Yet, as the latest Burson report reveals, the conversations shaping public perception are fraught with complexity, controversy, and a fair amount of confusion.

In a marketplace where claims of progress abound but clear, verifiable outcomes remain elusive, brands need to pivot from tokenism to transparent, data-driven storytelling—or risk being side-lined in a discourse increasingly driven by trust deficits.

The latest Burson report, powered by its proprietary tools ‘Know Your Opportunity’ (KYO) and ‘Decipher’ — an AI platform built in partnership with Limbik—provides a panoramic view of sustainability conversations across Australia, India, and Singapore. These three markets offer a spectrum of economic maturity and policy approaches, making the divergences in public perception all the more instructive.

In India, sustainability is still inextricably linked to its agrarian core. Food security, crop resilience, and rural livelihoods dominate public concerns, more so than in the developed economies of Australia and Singapore.

This is a direct reflection of the country's economic structure and political priorities. Yet, there is an emerging layer of urban scrutiny targeting consumer goods sectors, especially fashion and personal care, where regulatory tightening around issues like plastic waste and greenwashing is picking up pace.

For brands, this duality is both challenge and opportunity. Burson’s chief client strategy officer, Vandana Sandhir, sums it up: "Audiences today are increasingly calling for tangible progress toward stated goals, creating a clear opportunity for brands to build meaningful sustainability narratives. By embracing data-driven, value-led storytelling that aligns with India’s national priorities and leveraging our AI-first approach and proprietary tools like KYO and Decipher we are able to uncover deep insights and help brands shape and manage their reputations more effectively."

That reputational management is no longer a ‘nice to have’ but a ‘must do’ is reinforced by Adrian Warr, Burson’s South Asia-Pacific CEO. "As our clients work to enhance their social and environmental impact, they’re navigating a landscape of controversy, complexity and confusion. By blending AI-first intelligence with our reputation-building craft, we’re helping clients communicate with greater agility, precision and credibility to strengthen their reputation and their business," he added.

The complexity stems not just from the breadth of sustainability definitions but also from a growing public intolerance for buzzword-heavy communication. Terms like "progress," "growth," and "solutions" are falling flat, according to the report, as audiences seek evidence over aspiration.

Michael Rhydderch, APAC head of Sustainability and social impact at Burson, noted, "Today, audiences are demanding more than ambition – they expect transparency, accountability and real progress which means organisations must move from vague sustainability promises to clear and relatable communication."

This need for clarity is underscored by the continued reliance on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) as a framework. Yet, the goals themselves often introduce complexity due to inherent trade-offs. For instance, the shift to renewable energy can have unintended environmental and social consequences linked to resource extraction.

This makes the role of brands as educators, not just marketers, increasingly vital. A generic, one-size-fits-all message won't cut through; tailored, transparent storytelling, rooted in data and local insights, will.

KYO’s algorithms, which analyse online search behaviour against media narratives, highlight this tension vividly. In India, the energy sector is a case study in high trust and high urgency.

The country’s global leadership in clean energy, particularly solar, has found resonance with the public. Yet, other renewables like wind remain underrepresented in both policy discussion and media coverage, signalling a missed opportunity for narrative diversification.

Moreover, public sentiment in India marries urgency with optimism. Climate concerns are best received when framed within broader development outcomes—think green recovery or job creation rather than abstract metrics like science-based targets.

However, the narrative remains largely apolitical and compliance-driven, a double-edged sword. This neutrality creates a low-risk space for brands to engage, but also risks keeping the conversation stagnant, devoid of the emotional resonance that activism might inject.

The Burson report further reveals that activism is conspicuously absent from mainstream sustainability discourse in India. While climate change stirs some public debate, broader sustainability issues lack a strong activist voice. This signals a strategic vacuum that brands can fill—but only if they shift from safe compliance narratives to value-driven, emotionally resonant storytelling.

Consumer goods, food and agriculture, and energy are the sectors under the sharpest gaze. These industries face heightened expectations for transparency and measurable impact, but perceptions diverge sharply between public sentiment and media focus.

While media often fixates on corporate pledges, public discourse gravitates towards lived experiences and tangible outcomes—an insight brands would do well to internalise. By combining KYO’s analysis with Decipher’s predictive capabilities, Burson claims to offer a model of precision storytelling: identifying not just what narratives resonate, but when and where they are most impactful.

"By combining KYO’s analysis with Decipher’s predictive capabilities, we’re delivering unmatched counsel that empowers our clients to navigate complexity, anticipate emerging trends, and communicate with greater precision and impact," said Timon Kohli, senior vice president-global innovation product manager at Burson.

Yet, as APAC markets like India accelerate toward circular economies, green finance, and stricter ESG disclosures, the real competitive advantage lies not in more data, but in making data meaningful.

The shift from ambition to action is no longer optional; it's an expectation. And in a media environment where sustainability fatigue is real, merely ticking ESG boxes won’t build trust. As Rhydderch puts it, sustainability has evolved from a reporting requirement to a reputational imperative.

The implications for India's advertising and brand ecosystem are clear: storytelling must evolve from the polished veneer of CSR reports to narratives that are grounded, transparent, and critically, localised. National progress stories play well in India, but they must be anchored in community-level impacts that people can see, feel, and verify.

For agencies and marketers, the task is twofold: first, to use AI and data analytics not as ends in themselves but as tools for deeper human insight; and second, to recalibrate messaging that moves beyond compliance and taps into the aspirational zeitgeist of a younger, more environmentally conscious demographic.

The Burson report is less a roadmap and more a reckoning: brands that fail to embrace data-driven, value-led storytelling will find themselves not just unheard, but distrusted. In a country where progress narratives still dominate, the gap between what is said and what is done is becoming increasingly untenable.