Eco Storytelling and Green Communication: Corporate and Grassroots Narratives Driving Sustainable Consumer Engagement

The increasing urgency of environmental sustainability has transformed corporate communication from traditional promotional messaging toward value-driven sustainability narratives and eco-storytelling practices. Modern consumers increasingly evaluate organizations not only on product quality and price but also on environmental responsibility, ethical conduct, and social impact. Consequently, sustainability communication has become a strategic instrument for influencing consumer perception, strengthening stakeholder trust, and encouraging environmentally responsible behavior. The present study examines the role of eco-storytelling and green communication in shaping sustainable consumer engagement through selected corporate and grassroots case analyses including IKEA, Unilever, ITC Limited, Tata Motors, and EcoKaari. The study adopts a qualitative exploratory research design based on thematic content analysis of sustainability reports, annual reports, CSR disclosures, environmental communication materials, and organizational narratives. The research identifies major themes including circular economy communication, sustainable mobility narratives, ethical sourcing, renewable energy communication, waste upcycling, social empowerment storytelling, and stakeholder participation. Findings reveal that authentic eco-storytelling significantly enhances emotional consumer engagement, brand trust, ethical consumption orientation, and long-term brand loyalty. The study further reveals that sustainability reporting has evolved beyond compliance documentation into a strategic branding and stakeholder engagement mechanism. Corporate sustainability narratives largely focus on ESG metrics, innovation, and measurable impact, whereas grassroots sustainability storytelling emphasizes emotional authenticity, community empowerment, and social inclusion. The study contributes to the emerging literature on sustainable marketing, sustainability communication, and green consumer behavior by comparatively examining corporate and grassroots sustainability narratives within a unified analytical framework. The findings may assist organizations in developing transparent, participatory, and impactful sustainability communication strategies capable of promoting sustainable consumer engagement and responsible consumption behavior. Keywords: Eco-storytelling, Green Communication, Sustainability Communication, Consumer Engagement, CSR Narratives, Green Branding, Sustainable Consumer Behavior, ESG Communication