At SXSW Sydney 2025, a panel of industry leaders - including Compass Studio co-founder and co-director Luke Dean-Weymark - explored how sustainability is evolving in the events and communications landscape.
The consensus was clear: sustainability may no longer be the sole reason consumers engage with a brand, but it still tips the scales. In other words, being sustainable won’t automatically win you business, but it can sharpen a brand’s value and service, bolster trust, and differentiate you in a crowded market.
From Cost of Living to Cost of Doing Good
With post-COVID cost-of-living pressures rising, today’s market is asking “What’s in it for me?” when it comes to sustainability. Financial concerns are top of mind - 74% of Australians cite rising living costs as a major worry - which means consumers won’t pay a premium for purpose alone. In fact, while 56% of Australians are eager to learn about companies’ sustainability initiatives, only 35% are willing to pay extra for environmentally friendly products.
This value alignment gap explains why ultra-cheap retailers like Temu and Shein have surged in popularity. Roy Morgan found that 3.8 million Australians shopped on Temu and 2 million on Shein in a recent 12-month period, a spike fueled by the cost-of-living crunch. For marketers, the lesson is that sustainability messaging must connect to tangible benefits. In an era of discerning, budget-conscious consumers, sustainable choices need to offer personal value, not just moral value.
Greenwashing and Greenhushing be gone
Fear of Greenwashing has made some brands hesitant to talk about their sustainability efforts at all - a trend Luke noted as “greenhushing”. But Silence is not a solution. As Luke puts it, “If you’re not messaging it, you’re not managing it.” Research backs this up: Australians expect brands to be transparent and proactive about sustainability. Over half (54%) of consumers say companies should openly admit their challenges in meeting green goals and explain how they’ll overcome them.
There’s a high demand for clear, honest communication and evidence of action, rather than vague promises. After all, 82% of Australians distrust generic environmental claims - your audience can spot inconsistency a mile away. By building accountability into your communications, you not only manage expectations – you also build trust.
Climate Change Directly Affects Insurance
An unexpected insight from the SXSW Sydney Panel is how climate change is intertwined with risk management, insurance and stakeholders within the events industry. If you're reading this, I can assume that you are aware that climate change is no longer a distant concern. Extreme weather has wreaked havoc on Australia’s largest events - just this year, in a week alone, 26 live music events were cancelled as a cyclone loomed overhead, and major festivals like Splendour in the Grass have had to cancel due to weather-related slow ticket sales.
This volatility is driving up costs and making insurance coverage hard to obtain - especially for outdoor events. Insurers, faced with soaring claims, are increasingly unwilling to cover events in high-risk areas or price premiums at unmanageable levels. Sustainability isn’t just a feel-good factor; it’s now a practical necessity for resilience and continuity. Event marketers must now plan with climate in mind - from choosing seasonally and geographically safer venues, to investing in weather-resistant infrastructure and a backup plan or two. Sustainability in this sense means designing systems that can withstand the new normal of weather extremes, ensuring your event experience is reliable and safe.
The Way Forward: Integration not Addition
The future of sustainability in events and the broader communications industry lies in integration, not addition. It’s not about layering green messaging over existing strategies - it’s about embedding sustainability into every decision, from budgeting to storytelling. When sustainability is built into your systems, it becomes visible, credible and consistent.
As Luke put it, “you can’t improve what you’re not messaging.” The brands that will lead are those who treat sustainability not as a slogan, but as a structure - designed into how they think, create and connect.