This Ripple brought together investors and founders to talk about building up strong consumer brands, focusing a lot on how sustainability fits into the big picture.

The group swapped stories of winning and losing, each calling out how tough it is to convince buyers and other investors that “green” can also mean commercial success.

A few big takeaways:

• New materials and green brands need consumer buy-in, not just new tech products.

• Regulators matter, but brands can’t wait for the rules to catch up.

• Teams that can tell a story and connect with people tend to do the best.

• Most agreed that while eco-friendly claims are nice, price and taste or quality always come first for buyers.

• Private label retailers are catching up fast in the sustainability game.

• Collaboration (and sharing stories of wins and fails) is the real key.

In the end, Ripple’s group agreed that greener brands only stick if people love the product, not just its values. Success will come from getting everyone excited about better choices.