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Part 3 of the July blog series, The Growth Ethos. Subscribe to follow it.
Sustainable growth isn’t about doing less. It’s about doing the right things—efficiently, intentionally, and with long-term impact in mind. The smartest teams today aren’t chasing more clicks; they’re building engines that compound value without compounding emissions.
“The most resilient companies scale value, not expenses and leave a lighter footprint in the process.”
1. Efficiency is the new growth strategy
Not long ago, growth was about who could spend more, faster. In 2025, the conversation has shifted.
Leaders in B2B and beyond are asking:
- Can we grow without overspending?
- Can we scale without burning out people—or the planet?
Sustainable growth doesn’t mean slow. It means smart, measured, and aligned with what matters.
2. Start by mapping your current growth loop
To improve your growth engine, first understand its current structure:
- Track entry points – Where do users first hear about you?
For example: a LinkedIn post, a Google search, a podcast mention, or a referral from an existing customer. - Identify return triggers – What keeps them engaged?
This could be: a weekly newsletter, product updates, useful content on your blog, or a reminder email nudging them back to the platform. - Spot drop-off zones – Where are you losing them?
Look for: users abandoning the onboarding flow, low email open rates after signup, or a drop in activity after the first login.
These touchpoints form the shape of your growth loop. Often, optimising them, rather than chasing new users, is the shortest path to sustainable growth.
3. The Win-Win: channels that cut costs and carbon
Some of the most effective growth channels also happen to be the most sustainable:
| Channel | Why it works | Quick win |
|---|---|---|
| Organic SEO | Always-on visibility with low emissions | Optimise old content for user intent |
| Email/newsletter | High engagement, zero ad spend | Segment by interest and automate simply |
| Micro-communities | Strong trust, no ad costs | Test a private Slack or WhatsApp group |
Paid ads aren’t off-limits. Just apply a carbon and cost budget to each campaign. Research from the ANA data shows that brands reduced advertising emissions by a third through optimized media planning alone. These sustainable media buying strategies continue helping brands cut carbon emissions while driving greater efficiency.
4. Automate with intention
Automation saves time and cuts recurring costs, but only when it’s intentional and aligned with your workflow.
Some lean, high-impact tools worth exploring:
- Plausible for lightweight, privacy-friendly analytics
- Make.com + Airtable to build flexible, no-code workflows
- Behavior-based email flows that respond to real actions, not generic blasts
Use this simple test: if a tool doesn’t save you time or money within a month, drop it.
5. Track more than financials
The most future-ready teams measure both business performance and environmental impact.
| Business KPI | Add this impact metric | Example |
|---|---|---|
| CAC (Customer Acquisition Cost) | CO₂ emissions per acquisition | If CAC is €120 and each signup produces 2.3kg CO₂, optimise both |
| LTV (Lifetime Value) | LTV × Referral Multiplier | Boost value without adding emissions through organic referrals |
| Gross Margin | Margin per kWh or per campaign emissions | Margin per kWh or campaign emissions |
If your revenue is growing but your emissions are growing faster, something’s off. Sustainable growth means balancing profit and planet.
6. Case Example: FarmLab (Ag-Tech Carbon Platform)
THE CHALLENGE
Farmers and agribusinesses lacked scalable, verifiable tools to measure soil carbon, making it difficult to comply with mandatory emissions reporting and access carbon markets.
WHAT THEY DID
- Pivoted from generic ag-data outreach to targeted SEO content focused on soil carbon measurement and compliance
- Integrated AI-driven sampling and satellite imagery to predict soil carbon, reducing the need for costly on-site visits
- Formed partnerships with cooperatives to onboard hundreds of farms through trusted networks
RESULTS (OVER 12 MONTHS)
- Activated ~500 farms across various Australian states with minimal paid media thanks to optimized earned content and partnerships
- Built a robust dataset (~20,000 soil samples across 80 farms per state) for predictive modeling
- Enabled farmers to generate carbon credits and meet emissions reporting obligations—creating new income streams
KEY INSIGHT
A data-driven, sustainability-focused strategy eliminated the need for heavy advertising spend and accelerated growth through trust and measurable results. FarmLab’s AI and satellite data integration enabled rapid soil carbon validation and built strong farmer confidence.
Sources: sustain-cert.com, theaustralian.com.au, cordis.europa.eu
7. A simple checklist to start this week
If you’re getting into sustainable growth, here are 5 actions that make a difference fast:
- Audit one part of your funnel.
→ Example: Review your signup page—what % activate? - Set a budget for both CAC and emissions per lead.
→ Example: “Every campaign must stay under €30 CAC and 20g CO₂.” - Automate one repetitive task.
→ Example: Automatically tag newsletter subscribers based on their clicks. - Add one impact metric to your next report.
→ Example: CO₂ per email sent (easy with tools like Fathom or EcoSend). - Make one part of your user journey circular.
→ Example: Ask users to share their experience and invite peers; building loops.
What you optimise today defines what you can sustain tomorrow. Start with one focused change now.
WHAT’S NEXT IN THIS SERIES
This is part 3 of The Growth Ethos, a 10-post series exploring smarter, more sustainable ways to scale in 2025.
Coming next:
→ Circular Growth Loops Are the Future of Ethical Marketing
LET’S BUILD SOMETHING BETTER
If you’re building a product, service, or strategy that values long-term trust and responsible growth—this series is for you.
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