Selling sustainability to skeptics

Issue #3 | September 2025

For our most recent podcast episode, I sat down with Jenny Du from Apeel Sciences, a company that's transformed from a $10,000 university prize winner into a $2 billion climate unicorn backed by Bill Gates, Oprah, and Temasek. 

What fascinated me wasn't just their innovative plant-based coating that extends produce shelf life–it was how they've navigated the treacherous waters of sustainability marketing in an era where "food misinformation is at an all-time high.” Unlike other industries where you can build on existing understanding, Apeel faces a unique education problem: consumers have virtually zero baseline knowledge about what's already on their produce. 

Let's break down what they're doing right and what most climate-focused startups get catastrophically wrong.

Listen to the episode now →

When Apeel first approached packing houses with their revolutionary shelf-life extending technology, they hit an unexpected wall:

The pattern I see repeatedly with climate startups:

The takeaway: Before you pitch your sustainability solution, map the entire value chain to understand who actually benefits from the status quo—and who has the most to gain from your innovation.

What made it work? It didn’t ask people to save food “for the planet” or “for efficiency”—it made them feel like part of a national mission.

The climate marketing lesson: Reframe sustainability as a civic responsibility, not a wellness trend. Guilt doesn't convert, but shared purpose does.

When Apeel first communicated directly to consumers about their plant-based coating, they discovered that most people had no idea what was already on their produce. This created an unintended consequence—some consumers reacted with suspicion to what they perceived as a "new additive" rather than an innovative solution.

This mirrors what I've seen with dozens of climate startups: they assume consumers understand the baseline reality of their industry, when in fact most consumers have no idea how things currently work.

The principle: Effective sustainability marketing requires establishing the problematic status quo before introducing your solution. Otherwise, you risk becoming the perceived problem rather than the solution.

1. Pivot your customer focus when incentives don't align: Apeel initially targeted packing houses, but pivoted to retailers when they discovered misaligned incentives. They've since evolved their approach again based on market feedback. Don't get emotionally attached to your initial customer hypothesis.

2. Position sustainability as a premium feature, not a sacrifice: Apeel doesn't ask consumers to change behaviour to save the planet. They’re extending the window of that perfect avocado to 3 days instead of just one. The environmental benefit is the bonus, not the primary selling point.

3. Anticipate friction by designing for low-trust environments: Apeel learned that food is an emotionally charged category—and that most consumers didn’t even know produce was already treated with coatings. Instead of over-explaining the science, they simplified the message and focused on familiar benefits like longer shelf life and less waste. In high-skepticism markets, clarity beats complexity.

As Jenny notes, "No one's getting credit for prevention" in the food waste space, despite its superior environmental impact compared to diversion (like composting). This creates a massive opportunity for climate entrepreneurs who can position their preventative solutions as premium offerings that deliver immediate value while also benefiting the environment.

Apeel's approach: They don't just help you feel good about wasting less food—they help you enjoy perfectly ripe produce for longer periods, eliminate frustrating food spoilage experiences, and save money by throwing away less of what you buy.

The strategy: Position your climate solution as preventing problems your customers already hate, not just reducing environmental impact they may not prioritize.

For more insights into building a climate tech unicorn without sacrificing profitability, check out my full interview with Jenny on The Capitalist Hippie podcast.

In the episode, she also covers:

Listen now →