Your service, product or idea, no matter have advantageous it seems to you, is not going to be automatically adopted by wider society. It's going to go through the same process as other ideas and technologies.

Evert Rogers has defined the adoption cycle of new technology in his Diffusion of Innovation theory. According to the theory, the adoption of new technology, ideas, or change to the status quo goes through five sections of society before it becomes widespread:

1. Innovators. Innovators are the first to try new ideas and technologies. They are also people who are invested in new concepts. They are adventurous and risk-taking. Motivated by the idea of being change agents. They tend to be financially well off. And to operate in more cosmopolitan social circles.
   Innovators comprise roughly 2.5% of the population.

2. Early Adopters. Early adopters provide opinion leadership. They want to be first. They want to take on a leading position, as role models and trendsetters. These opinion leaders embrace the opportunity for change. The segment tends to be integrated into the local social system. They have social status, and can exercise concentrated influence in their area. Early adopters comprise roughly 13.5% of the population.

3. Early Majority. The early majority is very social. They have deliberate contact with peers. They are comfortable changing their behavior. But only insofar as it improves their lifestyle and/or productivity. They want proven ideas and technology. So they need new ideas and tech to be vetted by peers and colleagues. The early majority comprises roughly 34% of the population.

4. Late Majority. The late majority are skeptical. They tend to adopt ideas later than the average person in a given social system. When they do adopt ideas, it’s often out of social or economic necessity. In other words, because they are pressured by system norms. The late majority comprises roughly 34% of the population.

5. Laggards. Laggards tend to be older. They are focused on traditions and often have limited socializing. Since they are more-or-less only in contact with family and close friends, they are not as pressured to adapt. They view innovators and innovations with suspicion. So they adopt very late. To the point the original innovators may well consider the innovations obsolete. Laggards comprise roughly 16% of the population.

How does this apply to sustainable technology? 

Consider that this Diffusions of innovations graph below represents 100% of the industry you're trying to serve. Those in the green are at the forefront of change, those at the backside in red are those lagging behind. 

Every industry, every population segment has these categories: Of those who are open to change and those who aren't. 

Sustainability is a big transformation and just like any other big change, there will be those who want to embrace it and those who will oppose it — be it on political, ideological, or religious grounds. 

We spend far too much time on is convincing the yellow and red section of the industry the benefits of "going green".

In other words, we lecture to a general audience. We waste our breath lecturing the early majority to try and turn them into innovators. And it's far less efficient than helping the section in green.

Your ideal target audience already wants impact — they just don't know HOW to achieve it. When you communicate, don't try and convince them to act, show them how.

And you do that through delivering value. Solving their problems. Helping them achieve their impact goals — not by telling them that their impact goals should be bigger. If your product is as great as you say it is, then they will help spread the benefits through to the naysayers. You've just got to arm them with the benefits and the stories to do so.