Monday’s programming slate began with Research Insights Series: The Business
Case for Sustainability and Regeneration — a deep dive into the data and
analytics set to power the next wave of key sustainability strategies in
business.
“If it feels like there’s too much going on, you’re right,” said
Valutus founder Daniel
Aronson.
He laid the groundwork amongst all the noise for the broader conversation with
recent research showing which sustainability and social responsibility issues
are mattering most to consumers right now.
Among the highlights, diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) continues to have
strong momentum across most tracking — as well as privacy and security, which
continued strong performance that started prior to the pandemic. Looking ahead,
he signaled “early warnings” about lobbying and
advocacy,
especially as it relates to the preservation of democracy around the world. He
connected this issue to potential wider ramifications for business and the
global economy into the remainder of the 2020s and beyond.
What’s to come is especially disheartening for those under 30 and radically
changing how they interact with commerce and key life decisions, according to
BBMG founding partner Raphael
Bemporad.
He shared a range of a data from a recent report surveying over 30,000 people in
30 countries, and the findings were stark — 44 percent of youth (those under 30)
agree they don’t want to have children because of climate change. It was one of
several clear metrics showing change happening in real time.
It’s clear those who identify as Gen Z are feeling the most concurrent effects
from climate change as they grow into the early stages of their careers and
adult lives, and it’s shifting their key priorities. They’re challenging
companies
to tackle the most pertinent social and environmental issues of our era, and are
taking it into their own hands when they don’t see change at enough of a rapid
and effective clip.
With that mindset change and the buying power of Gen Z, it makes sense that
consumers overall want companies to take more responsibility when it comes to
plastic pollution and waste.
Linear to Circular advisor Chris
Oestereich shared data showing
how shopping trends in the grocery aisle are shifting towards companies with
significant sustainability and social responsibility efforts. He linked it to a
“systems-based approach” meant to help companies speed their transition to more
responsible and sustainable practices, especially for those who consider
themselves behind.
Another area where companies often feel behind is in
ESG;
and that’s largely due to the mixed opinions on its effectiveness, leading to
inaction.
Cora Lee Mooney, ESG
consulting partner at PWC, broke down five myths around ESG — helping
companies understand that over the long term, ESG-related funds and investments
often perform
better
than their less socially conscious counterparts. Further, she connected the
adoption of these pathways to getting ahead of greenwashing
scrutiny
coming from consumers and government agencies combined.
Consumer scrutiny is becoming louder — especially among those 18-24, per data
from NielsenIQ. The company’s VP of total
wellness, Sherry Frey, highlighted
that this age group is top (55 percent) when it comes to considering and
demanding environmentally focused attributes in their purchases; and while
“plastic-free and regenerative are still quite small,” “values-driven” buying is
gaining momentum across all CPG categories.
Frey also reported 331 percent growth among consumers in supporting
minority-owned brands, along with surprising increases in loyalty among
associations with high animal welfare standards.
Lastly, Sandy Skees, global lead of
purpose & impact at Porter Novelli, connected
this overall concern for societal health to a spectrum of how consumers want to
solve the climate crisis — at their own speed. Porter Novelli research found
that less than half are prepared to make major lifestyle changes to support
climate action, with only 8 percent identifying as “fully committed” — the most
action-oriented category.
She suggested connecting more education about better-made and more durable
products in all industries, as consumers cited more potential of supporting
second and third uses of products such as
apparel.
What resonated across each presentation was the value for business and customer
alike when it comes to the power of consumer choice to create a better world.
Because, as Oestreich summarized, “What’s the ROI of an unlivable world?”
Engaging consumers on the scope 3 emissions journey
A Tuesday afternoon panel featured representatives from four large companies
from a variety of industries, all grappling with the issue of reining in
emissions associated with use of their products.
As Prakash Arunkundrum, head
of global operations and sustainability at Logitech, exclaimed: “98 percent
of our emissions are in Scope 3.”
He explained the company’s four-fold climate
strategy,
aimed at beginning to tackle that large Scope 3
number,
taking various approaches to reducing emissions from the operations side at the
ground level.
Moderator Ratish
Namboothiry, director
of Innovation for Good at Kohler Co., posed the question: How do you take a
strategy like that and make it easy and digestible for consumers, especially in
the face of an oversaturated communications space?
“Transparency is by far the biggest opportunity we have,” he noted. “You can
either be extremely precise and super technical, or
greenwashing.”
Elizabeth Kinney — senior
communications director at Procter & Gamble — explained that, with its
stable of some of the US’s biggest household-name brands, the CPG giant uses
benefit language to help bridge that gap.
As an example, she noted how P&G is working to help consumers
understand
both the energy and cost savings of using an energy-efficient dishwasher
compared to handwashing. Beyond that, she added that it’s simply a matter of
giving consumers the data & tools to help them make decisions.
But even before helping consumers understand their role in helping reduce
climate-changing emissions through how they use products, Kinney advised that it
starts well before the point of ever making it public: “If you think about what
your company already does, think about how you can do that more sustainably.''
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Geoff is a freelance journalist and copywriter focused on making the world a better place through compelling copy. He covers everything from apparel to travel while helping brands worldwide craft their messaging. In addition to Sustainable Brands, he's currently a contributor at Penta, AskMen.com, Field Mag and many others. You can check out more of his work at geoffnudelman.com.
Published Oct 19, 2022 2pm EDT / 11am PDT / 7pm BST / 8pm CEST