The right consultant connects sustainability strategy with positioning, identity, digital experience and business goals. Adding green language to an existing brand doesn't do that.
This guide compares five consultants: What if Design, On Purpose, Elephant Design, Futerra and Quicksand. We look at specialisation, evidence of relevant work, delivery model and fit for different organisations.
Key Takeaways
- Sustainability branding turns environmental or social value into credible positioning, identity and websites.
- The best partner depends on your need: climate-tech brand, communications, research or global strategy.
- Check claim substantiation, case studies, senior involvement and delivery model.
- What if Design suits climate-tech and deep-tech teams needing brand, website and product design together.
Overview of Sustainability Branding Consultants in the Indian Market
A sustainability branding consultant combines brand strategy and creative execution with working knowledge of climate issues, sustainability claims and sector terminology. The work shapes how stakeholders understand an organisation.
Why India's needs vary so widely
India's sustainability economy is not one market. The benchmarks below cover different categories and periods, so don't add them together.
| Area | Benchmark |
|---|---|
| Renewables | 258 GW installed capacity, December 2025 (MNRE) |
| Electric mobility | 67,657 EV chargers installed, August 2026 |
| ESG | BRSR Core assurance covers the top 500 listed entities in FY 2025-26 (SEBI) |
| Climate tech | 1,583 funded companies (Tracxn) |
A hydrogen startup, a tyre-recycling programme and a sanitation initiative need very different brand work.
Branding vs ESG consulting vs sustainability marketing
- ESG consulting focuses on data, measurement and reporting.
- Sustainability marketing promotes specific sustainable claims.
- Branding shapes the core narrative, identity and customer experience.
The firms below suit different jobs. Compare best fit and verified evidence rather than hunting for one universal "best" agency.
Top Sustainability Branding Consultants for India in 2025 and Beyond
Each firm below is compared on sustainability specialisation, branding and design capability, sector knowledge, public case studies, India accessibility, senior involvement and the ability to link brand work to business outcomes.
What if Design
What if Design is a founder-led, remote-first studio founded in 2020, with hubs in San Francisco and Bangalore. It offers brand strategy, websites, product UX and pitch decks for climate-tech and other purpose-driven teams.
Its edge is technical translation. Co-founder Akhila Kosaraju comes from LEED building and urban design work, and says she learns the science and market before designing.
Co-founder Tejas Mahajan brings OYO-scale growth experience and product UX work across battery management, fleet platforms and ESG tools. The firm reoriented around climate after 100+ founder conversations.
Documented work includes:
- Susteon: brand strategy, logo and website over four months for a carbon capture company
- LabStart: brand strategy, website and UX for a climate-tech venture studio
- HYDGEN: website and branding for a decentralised hydrogen company
- Ribbit Network: messaging turned into a visual experience for open-source climate observability
| Factor | What if Design |
|---|---|
| Best fit | Climate-tech, clean-tech, EV, carbon-capture, ESG-data and frontier-tech teams |
| Core offerings | Positioning, identity, website, product UX, pitch decks |
| Delivery | Remote-first, two founders leading, Design Declares member |
| Reported outcomes | 75+ clients served; $45M+ raised through pitch designs (company-reported) |
| Limitations | Small team, so capacity is finite; less suited to mass-market consumer or PR campaigns |
On Purpose
On Purpose is a purpose-led communications and PR consultancy with offices in Delhi, Bengaluru and Mumbai. Its named focus areas include climate action, public health, education, youth skilling and gender.
Its strength is narrative, campaigns and reputation. One example is a brief for Sesame Workshop India Trust to define childhood obesity in India and set out a strategy framework to address it sustainably.
| Factor | On Purpose |
|---|---|
| Best fit | Indian social-impact initiatives needing campaigns, purpose articulation or reputation support |
| Scope | Brand-purpose articulation, communications, campaigns, PR |
| India relevance | Strong, with three offices |
| Limitations | Ask for standalone identity samples and quantified outcomes; not a product UX partner |
Elephant Design
Elephant Design is an Indian design firm offering branding and packaging, product innovation, innovation strategy and retail experience design.
Its best sustainability example is Suzlon One Earth in Pune, where it built signage, murals, installations and storytelling around the company's sustainability narrative. Elephant reports the work reinforced brand ethos and shaped employee behaviour. Its Organic India packaging redesign kept the brand's respect-for-nature values.
Sustainability shows up as storytelling in these cases. Ask about a formal environmental-claims policy and verified circularity metrics.
| Factor | Elephant Design |
|---|---|
| Best fit | Established consumer, manufacturing and packaging brands needing large identity or design-system work |
| Capabilities | Brand, packaging, innovation, spatial experience |
| Evidence | Suzlon campus; Organic India packs (no quantified environmental savings) |
| Limitations | Not clearly oriented to early-stage climate-tech |
Futerra
Futerra is a sustainability strategy and creative consultancy, a Certified B Corporation since September 2015. Its services span sustainability strategy, corporate communications, behaviour change, narratives and campaigns, and it works on the gap between sustainable intent and action.
Its Wild for Life campaign for UNEP reports reaching 1 billion people and over 3 million pledges. Those are self-reported participation measures, not proof of reduced wildlife crime. Offices are in London, New York and Mexico City, so confirm India project experience and who would staff the work.
| Factor | Futerra |
|---|---|
| Best fit | Large organisations and multinationals needing purpose positioning or global campaigns |
| Strengths | Strategy depth, behaviour change, storytelling |
| Delivery | Global offices; ask about India-serving teams |
| Limitations | Scale and consulting model may not suit startups; hands-on implementation scope unclear |
Quicksand Design Studio
Quicksand is based in India and works in design research, behaviour change, service design, storytelling and organisational design. It has been India anchor and research lead for What Design Can Do since 2018, including Make It Circular in 2022.
It reports equipping hundreds of designers and innovators with tools and insights. That is capacity-building, not measured carbon or waste reduction. On Project Sammaan, a sanitation initiative in Bhubaneswar and Cuttack, it led communication strategy while a partner firm handled identity and signage.
| Factor | Quicksand |
|---|---|
| Best fit | Social enterprises, public-interest programmes and mission-led teams needing research and service design |
| Capabilities | Ethnographic research, service design, communication systems |
| Limitations | Not a conventional brand or marketing execution house; identity work may involve partners |
How We Chose the Best Sustainability Branding Consultants
We ranked on fit and verifiable capability, not agency size, awards or the number of services listed. A provider using green language isn't automatically a good choice.
What we checked
- Sustainability depth: lifecycle thinking, climate and energy terminology, circularity, and the line between credible claims and greenwashing
- Branding range: strategy, positioning, identity, messaging, websites, product experience and packaging
- Proof: named case studies, senior involvement, and examples of explaining technical subjects to non-specialists
- Practical fit: India availability or remote delivery, project scale, budget transparency, timelines and post-launch support
Indian environmental claims rules
Those checks matter more now that green claims in India face formal rules. Two frameworks apply. The CCPA greenwashing guidelines from the Central Consumer Protection Authority took effect on 15 October 2024. The Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) green claims guidelines apply from 15 February 2024.
They require accurate qualifiers, verifiable substantiation and actionable plans behind future claims. A strong identity or B Corp credential doesn't substantiate a product claim.
Questions to ask any consultant
- How do you research and approve environmental claims?
- What evidence do you need from us before publishing?
- How will success be measured?
- What won't you provide, such as legal or lifecycle review?
Conclusion
The best consultant makes your real work understandable, distinctive and credible, and ties brand decisions to commercial and environmental goals. When you shortlist firms, compare them on:
- Technical understanding and sustainability evidence
- Case studies and senior access
- Delivery model, scalability and total cost
If you're a climate-tech, clean-tech or purpose-driven founder with science that's hard to explain, talk to What if Design about turning it into a clear brand, website or product experience. The studio offers a free 1:1 consultation.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does a sustainability branding consultant do?
They connect sustainability strategy with positioning, messaging, visual identity, digital experiences and stakeholder communication, so an organisation's real work is understood and trusted.
How is a sustainability branding consultant different from a regular branding agency?
They bring sustainability literacy, sector terminology and an evidence-based approach to claims. They also help align communication with actual practice, reducing greenwashing risk.
How much does sustainability branding consulting cost in India?
Expect custom proposals rather than a standard rate card. Cost depends on scope, research depth, deliverables, team seniority and engagement model, so compare itemised scopes.
How do I choose a sustainability branding consultant for a climate-tech startup?
Check technical fluency, investor and customer communication, brand-to-product capability, climate case studies, senior access, speed and scale. CEEW found 81% of households willing to install rooftop solar cite lower bills as their main motivation.
Can a branding consultant help prevent greenwashing?
They can sharpen claim clarity and align messaging with evidence. They can't replace legal, scientific, lifecycle or compliance review where required.
Should I hire a sustainability consultant or a branding consultant?
Hire a sustainability consultant for operations, reporting and compliance. Hire a branding consultant for positioning, narrative, identity and customer experience. Many organisations need both.
