I previously shared how sustainability is becoming the new CX battleground
92% of buyers now prioritize brands with social and environmental responsibility, and circular economy models like IKEA’s resale program are revolutionizing customer relationships.
But here’s the problem: most companies are getting it wrong.
They’re treating sustainability and customer experience as separate departments, with separate agendas and conversations. And this disconnect isn’t just theoretical; it’s costing companies millions and creating terrible experiences.
I sat down with Jai Thampi, founder of Artha Strategies and former Chief Strategy Officer at Schneider Electric. Having spent years working with C-suite executives across industries, his message? The future of customer experience is green, but only if we stop treating these two critical business areas as strangers at the corporate table.
The problem: silos are killing your sustainability efforts
“I see both topics in most companies are separately managed,” Jai explains. “Customer experience is one area, and sustainability is a different area. But I don’t see them as two separate areas. They’re two sides of the same coin.”
This disconnect isn’t just theoretical; it’s costing companies millions and creating terrible customer experiences.
Take Singapore Airlines. After COVID, they invested heavily in sustainability initiatives, including replacing plastic casseroles in economy class with paper-based containers. The paper was more expensive, retained heat better, and was environmentally friendly. It should have been a win-win.
Instead, customers revolted. They perceived the paper packaging as cheap and cost-cutting, despite it being a premium sustainable choice. The backlash was so severe that the CEO publicly admitted they should have paid more attention to how customers would perceive the change. They rolled back to plastic containers.
The lesson? “A clear example of where CX did not integrate with sustainability,” Jai notes. “Even though the objective was very good, just because the customer was not in the center of that experience definition, it backfired.” Your role as a CX professional is crucial in ensuring that sustainability initiatives are customer-centric and well-received.
The dual green effect: speaking the language executives understand
So how do you convince leadership that sustainability isn’t just a tick-mark exercise?
Jai introduces what he calls the “dual green effect,” a framework that bridges the gap between planet-conscious initiatives and business outcomes.
“One green effect is, of course, green for the planet,” he explains. “But executives also want to see the other green effect, which is the cash effect: The greenback. You really have to show senior leaders that these are not two separate things. You will have a dual green effect.”
This isn’t about choosing between ethics and profitability. It’s about recognizing that when companies integrate sustainability pain points and gains into customer journeys, they’re forced to redesign processes, which naturally improve customer touchpoints.
The data backs this up. Unilever’s sustainable living brands grew 45% faster than their other brands and accounted for 60-70% of total turnover growth. IKEA’s buy-back and resell program increased footfall and customer satisfaction. And Patagonia’s “Don’t Buy This Jacket” campaign? As I wrote before, it wasn’t just marketing. It created a premium brand that customers are willing to pay more for because they trust the circular-economy messaging and feel good about their purchases.
Where companies are getting it right (and where they’re not)
Specific industries are ahead of the curve. The energy sector, some beauty brands, and FMCG companies like Unilever and P&G are early players. Chinese EV maker NIO has built its entire business model around what they call “all-time quality,” integrating sustainability across development, partner validation, manufacturing, logistics, and user service.
But many industries are entirely missing the opportunity.
“Airlines, hospitality, tourism, some manufacturing companies, I feel many of them are way behind,” Jai observes. He points to the built environment as particularly ripe for transformation. “Today, typical value of a building is based on location, floor size, interiors. But in principle, if you really want to create an economy around it, a green building could actually have more future value than a non-green building.”
The same thinking applies to telcos, which are “primarily fighting on who has the cheapest plan and who has the latest iPhone” instead of leveraging sustainability as a differentiation point.
The practical roadmap: where to start
In my previous newsletter, I challenged CX leaders to audit their customer journeys for authentic sustainability integration points and consider circular business models. But Jai’s framework gives us the how.
If you’re a CX professional with six months to prove that sustainability can improve customer metrics, his advice is refreshingly practical:
Start with the fundamentals. Map your customer journeys, but overlay sustainability pain points and gain points on the same infinite loop. Don’t create separate journeys: integrate them.
Pilot smart. Choose one area of the value chain: carbon footprint labeling, sustainable packaging, product returns for circular economy. Apply design thinking and co-create with customers.
Modify your metrics, don’t multiply them. “There are too many metrics, too many KPIs,” Jai warns. Instead of adding sustainability tracking, modify your existing CSAT, NPS, and retention measurements to include sustainability-specific questions. Monitor social media engagement around sustainability-related content. Run sentiment analysis.
Segment ruthlessly. Gen Z customers are savvy about waste reduction and purpose-driven. Price-conscious customers have different priorities. “You do not tell the same story to every customer,” Jai emphasizes. “You really segment your story, you measure according to the segment.”
The emerging frontier: emotional sustainability
Remember when I wrote about the biggest threat to brands entering the sustainability space? It’s being perceived as opportunistic or performative – what we call greenwashing.
Here’s what most people aren’t talking about yet: emotional sustainability.
Sustainability efforts have created two side effects: cognitive load and ethical fatigue. Customers are overwhelmed by the deluge of information and the constant need to make ethical choices. Younger generations scrolling through shorts and reels have short attention spans, and the complexity of sustainability messaging is creating overload.
“CX can help in this emotional sustainability angle,” Jai argues. The solutions?
- Simplify messaging to prevent information overload
- Design UX in websites and apps that make greener choices automatic
- Converge eco-labels and certifications (think Energy Star)
- Make sustainability the default option, let customers consciously opt out rather than opt in
- Gamify and reward ethical choices with milestones and badges
Think about it: when you start a Teams call and the recording auto-mutes your video, you have to make a conscious choice to turn it back on. Apply that same principle to sustainability choices.
Technology as the enabler
AI, digital twins, and blockchain will accelerate this transformation. AI can enable hyper-personalization, showing bargain hunters affordable, sustainable options, or presenting eco-conscious customers with green choices by default.
But Jai warns against overdoing it. German clothing company Zalando used green leaves to highlight sustainable products and was challenged by regulators for misleading claims. “You have to apply it smartly, but don’t go overboard.”
The bottom line: fundamentals don’t change
As I wrote before, sustainability in CX is no longer about choosing between profit and planet. Jai’s work proves this point with a framework that’s impossible to ignore.
“The fundamentals of business do not change,” he emphasizes. Whether it’s AI, technology, sustainability, or customer experience, the core principle remains: keep the customer at the center.
Amazon does this through every transformation, from e-commerce to cloud to AI. Their leadership principles remain the same. Your business model might change, your technology stack might evolve, but that fundamental principle stays constant.
“The future of customer experience is green, and it is dual green,” Jai concludes. “It’s not just green for the planet, but every company has a capital expectation. If you can bring those two together, the planet green and the currency green, you will have success.”
This is what I meant when I said companies getting this right aren’t just adding sustainability features, they’re fundamentally rethinking how environmental values enhance the entire customer experience.
The takeaway for CX professionals:
Here are your three actionable takeaways:
- Audit your customer journey for authentic sustainability integration points
- Consider circular business models that extend customer relationships
- Invest in transparency that builds trust without appearing performative
Now, with Jai’s dual green framework, you have the execution strategy:
- Stop treating sustainability and customer experience as separate agendas
- Map customer journeys with sustainability pain points and gain points overlaid
- Modify your existing metrics instead of creating new ones (CSAT, NPS, retention with sustainability-specific questions)
- Pilot one touchpoint, measure the dual green impact (planet + profit), and build from there
- Segment ruthlessly, Gen Z cares about different things than bargain hunters
The companies that figure this out won’t just be doing good for the planet, they’ll be delivering better experiences, stronger retention, and genuine competitive advantage.
This is the loyalty that’s becoming harder to find in our increasingly commoditized world.
And that’s a dual green worth pursuing.
Want to explore the intersection of sustainability and customer experience further? Connect with Jai Thampi on LinkedIn or reach out to Artha Strategies for board-level strategic advice on transformation initiatives.