If you run a vegan, cruelty-free, eco-friendly, or sustainable brand, your name, logo, and slogans are not just marketing: they’re a reflection of your mission and values.

Protecting your brand identity with a federal trademark ensures competitors cannot copy you, misuse your hard-earned reputation, or confuse your customers with watered-down values.

Conscious creators build influence and income while promoting sustainability, ethical practices, and lifestyles that are friendly to people, animals, and the planet. Protecting your brand legally can help that impact last.

In this post, we explore common ways creators who prioritize sustainability, zero waste, veganism, and ethical partnerships often protect their content and reputations.

My favorite part of being a business lawyer is helping people create and protect something that matters to them. As a business owner myself, I understand the long hours, endless overthinking, and significant investment my clients pour into building their businesses.

My least favorite part? Seeing people lose what they’ve built because they didn’t have the right legal protections in place from the start.

That’s where trademarks come in.

“Greenwashing” is more than just a buzzword that’s caught on in recent years.

Whether you’re launching a cruelty-free cosmetics company, selling eco-friendly home goods, or a running a traditional business and want to showcase your sustainability efforts to your customers, making claims about your environmental practices carries legal & reputational risks.

Here’s what you need to know about green marketing, without running the risk of greenwashing.