Tim Stübane HORIZONT
Sustainability has long been more than just “eco-friendly” and plays a central role in many areas of life and the economy. But ‘sustainable’ still too often means “expensive.” In his Talking Heads column, Tim Stübane from The Goodwins therefore advocates a paradigm shift and explains what this should look like.
Sustainability is more than just “eco-friendly”
Anyone who still equates sustainability with “eco” is thinking too narrowly. The debate about climate protection and the circular economy has dominated the stage, but the real change has long since taken place elsewhere: today, sustainability is also about social justice, fair wages, secure jobs, and local participation. People want to consume sustainably—but no longer at any price. The willingness to pay a premium for the green label is dwindling. This is not a retreat, but a shift: the era of moral premiums is over.
The polycrisis and changing consumer behavior
Warum? Weil die alte Premium-Logik in der Polykrise versagt. Inflation, Krieg, Unsicherheit und steigende Energiepreise prägen das Jahr 2025. So wird Konsum rabattgetrieben: Bis zu 70 Prozent der Käufe erfolgen nur mit Preisnachlass, 60 bis 75 Prozent wechseln die Marke, wenn der Preis stimmt, und größere Anschaffungen werden gänzlich verschoben. Moralische Appelle laufen ins Leere, wenn der Kassenzettel das letzte Wort hat. Nachhaltigkeit muss sich rechnen, und sie muss für alle erreichbar sein.
The new narrative of achievement
The answer cannot be yet another “green” campaign, but rather a new, radically honest narrative of performance. What counts is concrete benefits: longer product life cycles, genuine repairability, refurbished instead of disposable new. Sustainability is becoming a smart standard, not a luxury. It must be socially legitimate – through living wages in the supply chain, secure jobs, local value creation. And all of this must be backed up with simple, verifiable metrics, not pathos.
Combination of fairness and everyday usefulness
It is precisely this combination that works: measurable fairness plus tangible everyday benefits beats any symbolic eco-premium rhetoric. Value-first sustainability means thinking of ecological and social impact as a single value proposition – very practical, very close to people's lives. This is reflected in longer warranties, genuine repairability, spare parts and refills, and certified pre-owned channels with warranties. The social supply chain becomes a real selling point – transparent, verifiable, traceable.
“Anyone who still sells ‘green’ products at a premium is riding a sinking ship.”
Transparency is key: a few hard figures, externally verified, placed where decisions are made—on the shelf, on the product page, at checkout. In uncertain times, it is not loud attitudes that convince, but quiet reliability: “no extra charge,” “at the previous price,” “saves X € per year”—the signals of a new value mindset.
Konsequenz für Marken und Märkte
Wer heute noch „grün“ mit Aufpreis verkauft, fährt ein Auslaufmodell. Wer „fair, haltbar, bezahlbar“ liefert, wird weiterempfohlen – weil Preisfokus und Nutzenorientierung das Kaufverhalten dominieren. Die soziale Wende der Nachhaltigkeit ist da. Sie bedeutet: weg von exklusiven Öko-Erzählungen, hin zu einem kombinierten Versprechen aus ökologischer Wirkung und sozialer Fairness – erschwinglich gemacht und transparent belegt.
Appeal and outlook
Sustainability remains central. But the paradigm must change. My appeal: make ecological and social sustainability affordable, verifiable, and immediately tangible—as a value-first promise for everyone. Because in a market characterized by uncertainty and price focus, the brands that make impact affordable, live fairness in a measurable way, and make benefits immediately tangible will win. This is not only the better growth strategy, it is also the right direction to take.
After all, it's about more than just economic success. It's about the environment we live in. Ecological sustainability won't save the planet—it will survive without us—but it will ensure our own survival. But what would life be without social fairness, participation, and reliability? Only the interplay of ecological and social sustainability can create a future that is truly worth living.