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Sustainability at the core of a brand’s purpose matters more than ever
We’re all interested in a more sustainable world. But not when we’re buying detergent. Or a car. Or coffee.
If that seems a bit obvious, thank hindsight. A few years ago, many marketers – myself included – saw ethical consumption as the trend redefining business.
But North American shoppers never voted for sustainability with their wallets. As a result, the vast majority of green products never captured more than a sliver of their market.
Today, with economic concerns top of mind, that trend has accelerated. As Bensimon Byrne’s new Canadian Consumerology report reveals, pocketbook concerns are overriding environmental concerns across the consumer spectrum, but most dramatically among moderately green mainstream consumers.
And there’s been a significant decline in the number of Canadians who believe they can afford to buy green.
So is green business dead? Definitely not. The same report states “More than three quarters agree that government should force corporations to act in an environmentally friendly manner.” Consumers are looking to corporations to clean up their act, even if they feel they can’t afford to shop green.
It’s an interesting situation. And one that is defining the way green is being adopted in business.
I won’t reward green. But I’ll punish un-green
Nike’s Air Jordan is a green marvel. It’s manufactured with earth-friendly materials and unique stitches that dramatically reduce the amount of toxic glues needed.
But it’s not positioned as a green sneaker. Nike believes this would dilute the brand promise of authentic athletic performance.
In fact, you’ll find very little green in the Nike brand. But if you look at the company literature, sustainability is everywhere. Eco-efficiency and innovation are considered in virtually every corporate and design decision. The company walks green—it just doesn’t talk green.
This philosophy is being adopted by more and more consumer goods leaders. Unilever, for example, rarely mentions green credentials on product packages or advertising. But the company’s “Sustainable Living Plan” is celebrated as one of the most ambitious corporate sustainability programs in the world. It documents a company in transition: on the one hand taking pains to map out Unilever’s current environmental footprint, warts and all; and on the other, describing a plan that could template a way forward for responsible corporations.
Advantages beyond green
Yes, there’s a payback for companies like Unilever. Sustainability usually brings manufacturing efficiencies. Employee retention and productivity goes up. Punitive government actions go down.
But ironically, consumers are also a consideration. Not because they’ll buy more of the company’s product, but because they’ll unleash fury on corporations that are not behaving sustainably. Kit Kat provides a particularly chilling example. The company was publicly lambasted (most memorably in a gruesome YouTube spoof commercial) by Greenpeace and citizen activists for using unsustainably sourced palm oil in its chocolate.
So where to from here?
We can safely say products of the future will have sustainability “built in.” But green may not be a selling feature. Instead, brands will continue to be built with perennial drivers like deep consumer insights, design and innovation.
Marc Stoiber is a B.C.-based creative director, writer, brand strategist, innovator and entrepreneur. He has worked around the world in advertising and design and speaks on subjects ranging from green innovation to social media.
