Thomas Kolster, Member, Sustainability Council – International Advertising AssociationThere’s a myth we need to retire: that sustainability and marketing belong on opposite planets. In reality, especially across the Middle East they could be the best tandem since oxygen and fire. When aligned, they don’t cancel each other out. They ignite growth, connection and long-term brand value.
And this isn’t limited to consumer brands. Some of the most exciting progress is happening in the business-to-businsess (B2B) segment, where sustainability can be a strong commercial driver. A standout example from the Middle East is ‘Move to -15’ by DP World, a UAE-based campaign rallying shipping companies and freight partners to cut emissions by 15 per cent. It reframed sustainability from a compliance burden into a competitive advantage.
Purpose that pays: Data-driven proof
According to Brand Finance’s 2025 Sustainability Perceptions Index (SPI), sustainability now drives a meaningful share of consumer demand. In categories such as automotive, discretionary fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG), professional services and luxury, sustainability perceptions influence between 4 per cent and 23 per cent of demand – making it one of the most powerful commercial drivers in any brand toolkit.
WARC’s analysis of a decade of its Effective 100 reinforces the same story: one in four of the world’s most effective campaigns used environment or social purpose as a central theme. Brands that engage people with meaningful issues don’t lose commercial impact – they multiply it. The evidence is clear: sustainability isn’t a cost. It’s an accelerant.
A ‘MINI MBA’ BRINGING CMOS & CSOS TOGETHER
The International Advertising Association, together with sustainable marketing pioneer Thomas Kolster is launching a new mini-MBA programme, which brings chief marketing officers (CMOs) and chief sustainability officers (CSOs) together.
The programme is taught by leading CMOs and CSOs from brands such as P&G and Tony’s Chocolonely.
Why the Middle East is primed for this partnership
The region is in the midst of rapid economic, generational and cultural change. Young populations, rising environmental awareness and fast-evolving consumer expectations create fertile ground for purpose-fuelled growth.
People in the Middle East don’t want moral lectures. They want better choices: cleaner cities, healthier food, smarter mobility and stronger futures. Every year, I witness better and more meaningful work coming from the region, which is also reflected in the WARC research.
This is where marketing and sustainability complement each other perfectly. Sustainability brings the substance. Marketing brings the spark. When the two align, they transform complex topics into human stories: progress over perfection, empowerment over guilt and innovation over sacrifice.
What it looks like when it works
Authentic storytelling backed by credible action: SPI shows that brands lose billions in value when perception and performance don’t align. Marketing cannot fix an empty sustainability story, but it can amplify a real one.
Campaigns that connect emotionally, not morally: WARC’s most effective purpose campaigns didn’t preach. They made people feel something and made sustainability relevant to everyday life. That approach resonates strongly across the Middle East, where emotional storytelling and cultural nuance matter more than corporate jargon.
Positioning sustainability as value, not sacrifice: When sustainability is framed as smarter, healthier and more aspirational living, people lean in. When it’s framed as a restriction, they tune out. Marketing’s job is to translate environmental, social and governance (ESG) frameworks into benefits people can actually see, taste, feel and enjoy.
A positive call – not for perfection, but for partnership
Sustainability doesn’t succeed through moral superiority; it succeeds through collaboration. Through building trust, not fear. If sustainability is oxygen, marketing is the fire – one provides the fuel, the other sets it alight.
The future belongs to brands that realise the two aren’t rivals but co-architects of value. The Middle East has everything it needs to lead this shift: ambition, innovation, young talent, and a consumer base hungry for brands that matter.
The moment we stop seeing marketing and sustainability as opposing forces, we unlock the most powerful growth engine of the next decade: purpose-driven brands that are both commercially sharp and culturally relevant.
By Thomas Kolster, Member, Sustainability Council – International Advertising Association
