# WhoCares Who Does 2021-p
Creating a competitive advantage through sustainability
Creating a competitive advantage
through sustainability
Issue 3 | September 2021
Creating a competitive advantage through sustainability
COVID-19 may have pushed the topic of sustainability off the top of the news agenda recently, but its importance in terms of the global population only continues to grow.
Creating a competitve
advantage through sustainability
While COVID-19 has been dominating conversations, heatwaves, floods, and hurricanes globally have meant that the challenge of living more sustainably remains as critical as ever.
Recently, the IPCC’s 2021 Climate Report hit the headlines with some very stark findings. It directly links human activity with the warming atmosphere, oceans and land, and projects vast increases in extreme weather events around the globe. Unsurprisingly, the urgent need for action outlined by the report grabbed the attention of politicians around the world.
Consumers also understand how critical this topic has become. The number of households that are the most environmentally conscious (which we call ‘Eco Actives’) rose for the second year in a row. Globally, this group now represents 22% of consumers. They are worth $446 billion to the Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) industry, increasing by $70 billion last year.
Now in its third edition, Who Cares, Who Does? is our annual global study to understand the attitudes and actions of consumers towards the environment – and how this impacts their decisions at the point of sale.
This year’s report provides updated insights on sustainability, as manufacturers and retailers look for ways to meet their ‘green’ commitments, which have been louder and more visible than ever.
Over the following pages, we will cover:
1. What issues people are concerned about, how these change across the world and what environmentally positive actions people intend to do more often.
2. Which brands are currently resonating with consumers as being more environmentally positive than the competition, and how this impacts performance.
3. We talk to industry experts, including Bill Marshall, Global Director, Futures and Sustainability at Unilever, and Chris Sellers, CEO at Water Unite.
Who Cares, Who Does? is a joint initiative between Kantar, Europanel and GfK. Thanks to this partnership, we have interviewed over 88,000 people across 26 countries.
This study is unique, as we can cross-reference our questionnaire with actual behavioural data: both shopping and usage. In doing so, we can directly link people’s sustainability attitudes to the brands and categories they purchase, and the retailers they shop in.
We can also help you create a competitive advantage through sustainability and play your part in shaping the future of our planet.
Who Cares, Who Does is a globally harmonized survey across 26 markets on our household purchase and usage panels.
Countries: Belgium, Brazil, Chinese Mainland, Colombia, Costa Rica, Chile, Czech Republic, Ecuador, France, Germany, Great Britain, Hungary, India, Ireland, Italy, Mexico, Netherlands, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Slovakia, Spain, Thailand, USA.
Sample >88,000 respondents
Fieldwork took place between
June - July 2021
How the global population has shifted
At the centre of the
Who Cares, Who Does? study is our
Eco-Segmentation, where we have
divided the global population into
three unique consumer groups.
Let’s see how the groups have
changed over the last three years.
How the global population has shifted
Our Eco-Segmentation is created based on how often people do everyday actions to help reduce plastic waste. Activities include everyday changes, like consumers taking reusable bags when grocery shopping, using refillable water bottles and bringing reusable cups for hot drinks. These also include the larger, potentially more ‘inconvenient’ (and less widely done) actions, such as avoiding buying drinks in plastic bottles or products packaged in plastic.
We have three groups in this segmentation: Eco Actives, Eco Considerers and Eco Dismissers.
Shoppers who are highly concerned about the environment and are making the most of actions to reduce their waste. They feel an intrinsic responsibility to be more sustainable, follow the topic more actively, and are more aware of their potential impact on the planet.
They are worried about the environment and plastic waste, at similar levels to Eco Actives. But they are closer to Eco Dismissers in how they act, not taking many actions to reduce their waste. Their most significant barriers are convenience and price.
Shoppers who have little or no interest in the environment and take no steps to reduce waste. The topic rarely features amongst friends and family, and they lack awareness of environmental concerns. They do not think they make a difference.
The most sustainable shoppers, Eco Actives, account for 22% of the global population in 2021. They grew for the second consecutive year, up six percentage points when compared against 2019.
The $446 billion
opportunity in FMCG
Eco Actives account for 22% of households, worth $446 billion to the industry – an increase of $70 billion since last year.
Clearly this is a growing market to capitalise on.
However, the Eco Active growth rate is not consistent everywhere. Between 2019 and 2020, Eco Actives grew in the majority of markets, with only Denmark and Chile seeing a loss. However, this year, we see a much more mixed picture, with half of the markets witnessing a fall in Eco Actives.
Generally, the more affluent countries are seeing more substantial growth (averaging at an increase in 5.5 percentage points), whereas the less affluent markets see a decline averaging at a loss of 1.2 percentage points.
The more developed or more affluent countries have a higher percentage of Eco Actives. The opposite is true in countries with low GDP per capita, with most Latin American countries and China having a relatively low share. Exceptions include Hungary and Chile, which significantly over-index on Eco Actives, with 37% and 35%, respectively.
On the other hand, we would expect a higher proportion of Eco Actives in the US (18%) and Netherlands (21%), given their high GDP per capita.
Half the population will be Eco Active before 2030
Whilst Eco Actives may be the minority now, we predict that they will almost double in size in the next six years and account for over half the global population by 2029.
Using the three years of data we have collected, we can predict how much bigger the Eco Active population will become over the next 10 years.
Eco Actives will grow quicker in high GDP markets, reaching 50% in the next four years. We do not expect Eco Actives to arrive at 50% in low GDP per capita markets until 2035.
Our confidence in this shift is down to the current size of Eco Considerers (40% of global households) who are trying to be more sustainable but can’t yet achieve it. With the help of manufacturers, retailers, and government organisations producing more sustainable alternatives, members of this group will soon find it easier to become Eco Actives.
This growth is good news for companies that have pledged to reform their packaging and restrict their carbon footprint: it means a target audience will be waiting for them. Manufacturers and retailers need to act now and ensure their sustainable message is heard, so they can build a competitive advantage from this population shift.
However, many brands that shoppers recognise as doing a good job for the environment have always been doing so, those which are 'born- sustainable'. For those brands that don't fit this description, please note that short-term 'green' pledges do not sway consumers; they are merely hygiene factors. Brands that want to gain a competitive advantage need to take the lead on an issue.
The risk of missing
out on Eco Actives
Whilst the growth of Eco Actives is undoubtedly good news for the planet; many brands will need to evaluate the impact this population shift will have on their bottom line. The increase of Eco Actives will come at the expense of Eco Dismissers, and brands that rely on this group will see their shares fall against other brands that can attract sustainable shoppers.
Eco Actives favour categories related to scratch cooking, natural products and artisan categories like fresh olives. They reject heavily processed items, canned and frozen foods, and heavily packaged categories like moist wipes, liquid soap, and packaged fruit and vegetables.
Using data from Belgium, Germany, Great Britain and Spain, we have identified five categories at-risk that currently under-index with Eco Actives. Many of these categories do not have a range of brands offering sustainable options. We can plot the current index against the growth rate of Eco Actives and quantify the financial risk of inactivity. For example, we project that Carbonated Soft Drinks will decline by a combined €700m by 2031 across these markets.
Impact of COVID-19
on sustainability views
This year we also asked consumers whether due to the coronavirus pandemic, had sustainability become more or less important to them.
Almost half (49%) said it is now more important, while only 7% said less.
This trend is consistent across the different segments, with 38% of Eco Dismissers, 51% of Eco Considerers, and 61% of Eco Actives rating sustainability as more important than previously.
We also examined whether sustainability was more likely to be important for those respondents in better financial situations. We found that there was little impact of people's financial position on their levels of concern. If anything, those struggling to make ends meet are more likely to think sustainability more important than those in more comfortable situations.
The opportunity across Eco Considerers and Dismissers
Behind the Eco Actives, a large share of the population is trying to be more sustainable but cannot achieve it regularly. We call this the Value-Action gap, a concept also known as the say-do gap. It is the difference between peoples’ desire to be sustainable and their ability to achieve it.
There are many ways to assess the size of this gap. In Who Cares, Who Does? we have chosen to use two statements related to how people shop. ‘Value’ is assessed as those that ‘try to purchase environmentally friendly packaging’ and ‘Action’ as those that ‘regularly avoid plastic packaging’.
So, why is this important?
The gap accounts for 36% of the population globally and is worth $806 billion to the FMCG industry. This gap shows a substantial unmet demand which is an excellent opportunity for companies to help shoppers close. If shoppers have more options to purchase sustainably, they will. Therefore the responsibility – and the opportunity – lies with companies to provide more environmentally friendly options at affordable prices.
Eco Actives can generally fulfil their desire to be more environmentally friendly when shopping, with a Value-Action gap of just 12%. Eco Considerers have the biggest Value-Action gap at 43%, with 70% of shoppers wanting to purchase sustainably but only 27% regularly doing so.
The Eco Considerer challenge is situational. They tell us purchasing environmentally friendly options is more expensive or less convenient. What does motivate them, though, is the feeling that they can make a difference and the chance to show off to friends and family. Considerers are the low-hanging fruit opportunity: those that need a little help to become an Eco Active.
Eco Actives are a group that can be thought of as unreachable, particularly for manufacturers who produce mainstream brands. It's believed that this group is too ‘ethically minded’, but it's worth remembering that they are not activists, despite their name. Whilst we see that they are more likely to purchase vegan products and avoid red meat, preferring niche and more locally produced brands, they are certainly not unreachable for organisations of any size.
And if half of the population will be Eco Actives by 2030, the opportunity speaks for itself.
Eco Considerers have the biggest Value-Action gap at 43%, with 70% of shoppers wanting to purchase sustainably but only 27% regularly doing so.
How brands can
win with Eco Actives
Eco Actives are worth $446 billion
to the FMCG industry - and they’re set to represent half the population by the end
of the decade. Let’s explore their shopping behaviour and see the brands winning
with this group.
How brands can win with Eco Actives
Sustainable motivations
We have explored the motivations and barriers to being sustainable.
Eco Actives are more likely to believe that ‘buying sustainable products shows others who I am and what I believe in.’ 70% of Eco Actives would agree with this, compared with just 26% of Eco Dismissers. And Eco Actives feel they can make a difference to the world around them through the actions they take (80%, versus the Eco Dismissers’ 39%).
The barriers to being sustainable did not differ much between the segments. Around 60% of the population want to be more environmentally friendly but find it difficult because sustainable products are harder to find or more expensive. Approximately one in three shoppers said that they try to buy sustainable products, but that they get distracted.
The value of doing good
Over two-thirds of shoppers have switched to comparable products that have a positive impact on the environment. This rises to 85% with Eco Actives, with 48% who have done it frequently. Brands that are recognised by sustainable shoppers will see a sales benefit.
We looked at the top 10 brands that over-index with Eco Actives in Thailand, Spain, Great Britain and Brazil. And in each market, these brands saw double-digit growth, performing better than the FMCG industry as a whole and growing between four to seven times quicker than the brand average.
Brands leading the change
We asked shoppers to name FMCG brands that do a lot for the environment and brands that help society. We found that 41% of shoppers can name a brand that does a lot for the environment compared with just 28% of shoppers that can name doing a lot for society.
Nestlé tops the list of global brands that shoppers perceive to be doing a lot for the environment, followed by Coca-Cola, Natura (also 3rd in the society Top 10), Almarai, Ecover and Yves Rocher.
Approximately one-third of the top 10 brands across markets are 'born-sustainable’, i.e. have always held a sustainable message, with 41% being global brands and 26% being local brands. Additionally, 60% of the brands identified were from the Homecare and Personal care sectors, which is disproportionately high given that Food and Beverages account for over 70% of FMCG spend.
Case Study
Tony’s Chocolonely
Tony’s Chocolonely, a B-Corp and Fairtrade-certified company, was founded in the Netherlands in 2005 by three journalists from the Dutch TV show ‘Keuringdienst van Waarde’. They discovered that the world’s largest chocolate manufacturers were buying cocoa from plantations that used illegal child labour and modern slavery, and felt compelled to act. And so Tony’s Chocolonely was born.
The brand’s mission is to make chocolate 100% slave free, not just within their own company, but all chocolate worldwide.
These credentials resonate with Eco Actives, with a brand penetration 38% higher amongst this group than with the average shopper. But the brand isn't winning just with this segment. Seen as good for the environment and society, the brand penetration across all segments is growing at 220%.
Source:
https://tonyschocolonely.com/
and Kantar UK
Influences
on consumer actions
For this year’s study we asked, ‘Which of the following shape your behaviour regarding the environment and society?’. We found some significant differences by region.
In Europe, product packaging was the top influence, followed by family. In both Asia and Latin America, social media came out highest, with product packaging lower down the list.
Given the importance of product packaging, we also asked respondents what sustainability information they regularly look for on product packaging when shopping. The positive is nearly all (93%) of respondents pay attention to some sustainable information on packaging.
Recycling information came out as the information consumers look for most, i.e. if the packaging has been made of recycled material or can be recycled.
However, less than 40% of people are doing this regularly.
We can see a challenge emerging. Packaging may be the thing swaying consumers the most, yet relatively few people are looking for this sustainability information regularly. Why is this?
One reason for the low numbers is that most of this information is seen on the back of pack, which can often be overlooked when shopping.
The practice of labelling on environmental impact is growing amongst brands trying to tap into the Eco Active market. There are now over 400 ecolabelling initiatives within the FMCG industry. Examples include Garnier's Sustainability Index, Nestle's partnership with Foundation Earth, and Lidl's adoption of Eco-Score labelling. To get this right, companies need to consider how they label, bringing more clarity than the symbol-based system we have today.
Spotlight on…Unilever
FMCG companies that are successful in linking their brand purpose to sustainability have a powerful advantage.
What does sustainability mean to you?
For us, in Unilever, sustainability means “the environment under stress” but we take a very broad meaning when thinking of the environment.
We talk about “my world”, “our world” and “the world” when we think of sustainability, and we mean all the issues that matter to consumers which either affect them or their friends/family, their community, (however they define that) and at the macro level, the planet itself.
In essence, we try to think of sustainability as all those things that do some good for society, so these can be environmental issues like plastics, recycling, and climate change, as well as social issues like gender and racial equality, positive nutrition, raising living standards and physical and mental wellbeing for example.
How important is it to Unilever that sustainability can drive share growth for your brands?
Sustainable growth is at the heart of our vision “to be the global leader in sustainable business.” Through this statement, we aim to continue demonstrating how our purpose-led, future-fit business model drives performance and results for our business.
Across the FMCG industry, organisations have committed to making sustainable changes to their business, but implementing these changes within marketing plans at brand level is more difficult. How do you embed sustainability issues into decision making across the whole organisation?
Unilever is known as being a leader in sustainability and purpose. Our strategy, known as the Compass, aims to shape consumer behaviour change, embed sustainability into every part of the business and bring others along on the journey. This initiative is centred around three core beliefs — brands with purpose grow, companies with purpose last, and people with purpose thrive. We are focussed on a commitment to purpose across the whole of the business and all its activities.
Is it difficult to prove both the social and commercial value of sustainability to stakeholders?
It was definitely a challenge in the past, but the growth of studies that show the value that sustainability can have on business success has helped us communicate the value of this strategy.
What level of awareness do you think consumers have of all your initiatives you’ve put in place at corporate or brand level?
We measure this using our brand guidance studies. We have learnt that the consistent application of brand purpose initiatives over time leads to awareness at scale. Our brands are on purpose journeys, with some brands (Dove and Ben & Jerrys for example) being more well known for purpose than others in our portfolio.
What impact do you think Covid has had on sustainability concern?
Evidence from agency partners like Kantar and their Who Cares, Who Does? research shows that the pandemic put sustainability temporarily on the back burner, as consumers cared more about physical health and hygiene issues. At the same time, it showed how the world is so interconnected, raised the profile of the planet during the lockdowns and demonstrated the value of local. As we emerge from the pandemic, there is increased concern about the environment and how to ensure the world is built back better.
What role do you see Unilever having in educating consumers?
At Unilever, we invest in future thinking and scenario planning, with the ambition of not only keeping abreast of current trends in the sustainability space, but also playing a leading role in setting new ones across the FMCG industry.
What do you think is the biggest barrier(s) and how do Unilever seek to address this?
I believe that the biggest barriers are education and transparency. Consumers instinctively want to do the right thing and to buy ethically, but they don’t want to pay a premium to do so, nor do they want to spend lots of time researching how to do this. Unilever has a multitude of programmes that are making it easier and simpler for consumers to take action.
How will the FMCG industry approach sustainability in the next 10-20 years and what will it take for manufacturers and retailers to win?
The generation following Gen Z - known as Gen Alpha – are likely to be a “sustainability first” generation. This will be the first generation that have grown up with sustainability as a fundamental fabric of the society in which they live and what they learn about at school, college and university. Climate, packaging and social issues will be simply become part of how everyone thinks about and buys FMCG products, so companies that aren’t on board will not thrive in the future.
What’s concerning today’s consumer?
Gaining insights into wider concerns helps businesses to understand consumer priorities to then create effective sustainability solutions. Let’s see what’s concerning the global population.
What’s concerning today’s consumer?
Understanding consumer concerns is a good starting point for manufacturers at the early stages of the sustainability journey with their brand.
Gaining insights into these wider concerns helps businesses to hone in on consumer priorities, to create effective sustainability practices that address their biggest worries, and benefit the environment as a whole.
Our research found that globally, climate change is the biggest concern for consumers. Water pollution is the second biggest concern, followed by plastic waste, air pollution and deforestation rounding out the top 5.
Manufacturers need to consider that different issues affect different regions, and even within a given region, there can be significant differences between markets.
In Europe, there is a concentration around climate change and plastic waste (plastic waste is driven more by Eastern Europe). A more significant proportion of the population – almost half – rank climate change within their top three.
In Latin America, issues like water pollution are more commonplace, making it the top priority. Air pollution has moved from the sixth to the third most important, jumping up nine percentage points since last year.
In the Chinese Mainland, shoppers rated air pollution as a top three issue with 46% of the population (up 10 percentage points on last year). No doubt the visual impact of images from the start of 2020 had an impact. Plastic waste has moved four percentage points downwards, in contrast.
Transformational change
As referenced in the introduction, the IPCC has just published the Climate Change report. They report that ‘limiting global warming to 1.5°C by the end of the century is still within reach but requires transformational change’.
How much of that change is for people to action?
We asked which actions people intended to do more of next year, many of which are related to reducing their carbon footprint. Less than one in three shoppers plan to wash more at low temperatures, limit water use in baths more regularly, shop more locally, use the car less or eat less meat. Even with the Eco Actives, less than 45% intend to take more of these actions.
Instead, the top two issues consumers are most likely to do are packaging-related, buying more sustainable packaging and using refillable or reusable products.
Again, there are some regional differences. Latin American shoppers are more likely to shop locally, use DIY alternatives, eat less meat, and use the car less. In Europe, people are more likely to buy sustainable packaging, save electricity at home and wash clothes at low temperatures.
Spotlight on…
Water Unite
Partnering with third-sector organisations offers brands the opportunity to create real change.
Can you explain how Water Unite partners with retailers and brands to improve water hygiene and reduce plastic waste?
Water Unite’s model involves asking brands and retailers to add a one cent contribution to every bottle of water they sell in store. This is donated to us and invested in schemes aimed at ending water poverty and substantially reducing plastic pollution worldwide.
To overcome the funding gap in water sanitation and plastic recycling, we need a large base of donors. By tapping into the global packed water market – which hit 520 billion litres in 2020 – we have the potential to raise up to £5 billion per year for vital schemes and services.
This approach works well because it doesn’t impact the price sensitivity of products in any way. The consumer doesn’t notice the one cent increase and it is small enough for retailers to use as a trade promotion.
Consumers are also increasingly choosing to shop with retailers and brands that reflect their own attitudes and beliefs – particularly around issues such as the environment. As a result, partnering with charities like Water Unite creates a powerful CSR message for our partners.
What expertise do you bring within your role as Chief Executive Officer of Water Unite? What do you hope to achieve as a charity over the next few years?
My key priorities involve bringing insight and experience in the retailer and consumer goods marketplace, understanding the economics, supply chain and the use of data behind a retailer’s business.
Over the coming years, we want to continue generating funds that eliminate water poverty and plastic pollution for future generations. But for this legacy to continue, the principles of our model must be sound from a business point of view as well as functioning within a charity environment.
Water Unite aims to raise more funds and become an integral part of the sector. By working with a select group of companies, analysis shows that it is feasible for us to raise an additional $100-200 million per year and we’re working tirelessly to achieve this.
What is your model
for building more retail partners?
Our model is on a retailer-by-retailer basis. It’s important to understand an individual company's CSR needs so we can tailor our offering for them. We directly engage with retailers whose values align with our mission to tackle environmental and social issues.
Since our inception we have built up a network of champions within many retailers and brands. We are working closely with them to see the micro-contribution model implemented in their stores and products.
Why are retailers increasingly partnering with third sector organisations to tackle important issues such as sustainability and climate change? What are their motivations at a brand and industry level?
Many environmental challenges require systemic changes that are beyond the capabilities of individual companies. As a result, a good approach for businesses can be to partner with third-sector organisations which are already working towards these causes. These third sector organisations have effective strategies, useful contacts and most importantly, an experienced team that can provide insight and guidance.
Partnerships also allow retailers and brands to collaborate with their peers to address issues which put the sector at risk. The unprecedented social and environmental problems being faced by the industry today cannot be tackled by individual organisations. It is only by uniting and pooling resources that solutions can be developed at scale.
How does partnering with Water Unite generate more exposure and credibility for brands?
Working with Water Unite increases the brand's profile as a socially responsible firm that has aligned its values with those of their consumers. This enables them to capture and retain a higher proportion of consumer wallet, by growing consumer engagement, loyalty, and penetration.
We also provide our partners with regular updates on the impact of their customers’ donations, which they can use in communications to boost engagement and grow advocacy.
Which markets are you seeing the most demand/interest for partnerships?
Compared to other markets around the world, Europe is more advanced in terms of sustainability, as shown by the number of Eco Actives in Germany and other markets in the region being higher, so our work tends to resonate most with consumers and retailers based here.
On the other hand, the US retail market is lagging slightly behind. The main reason for this is its sheer size. However, it could be that US retailers tend to focus their CSR efforts on uniquely American issues and concerns, rather than global ones. The US consumer mindset is starting to consider international issues within retail supply chains, however it is still playing catch up.
Interestingly, we have observed a particular interest in Water Unite from brands and retailers in Latin America (LATAM). This is likely due to a combination of visible plastics, sanitation and water scarcity issues married with a large consumer population. These issues are front of mind for LATAM consumers, so retailers are actively looking for ways to tackle them.
Our research has found that most shoppers want to buy more environmentally friendly packaging, but only a few regularly avoid it. How is Water Unite bridging the gap between desire and action?
Information about the lifecycle of packaging isn’t readily accessible for consumers. Therefore, consumers are often not fully informed or simply don’t want to address problems associated with the origin or the post-use lifecycle of the products they buy.
Consumers look to retailers to help them make better choices, socially, economically, and environmentally. Water Unite is bridging the gap between desire and action by partnering with retailers and brands across the globe to incorporate the micro-contribution scheme on a number of products. In doing this, consumers have more opportunities to buy products that contribute towards the plastics recycling and circular economy sector.
How do you work with retailers and brands to educate shoppers about what Water Unite does?
We have a well-developed set of collateral and case studies aimed at inspiring our audiences to change their behaviour. The messaging is conveyed through both in-store and online platforms. In the case of in-store, we work with partners to find messaging and imagery that resonates with their consumers when they pick products off the shelf.
In the case of online messaging, social media and website platforms allow us to share case studies and animations demonstrating where the donations are invested. We also provide retail partners with a detailed evaluation of the programmes they fund. These help consumers to understand the real impact of their donations.
How to create
a competitive sustainability advantage
As shown throughout this paper,
the importance of sustainability
has grown – so how can businesses
tap into this opportunity?
How to create a competitive
sustainability advantage
The most sustainably-minded group, the Eco Actives, have increased in size for the second consecutive year and are now worth $446 billion to the global FMCG industry. Over half the population will be considered Eco Active by the end of the decade.
How can businesses tap into this opportunity and create a competitive sustainability advantage?
1. Make sustainability
a rewarding choice
Two in three shoppers tell us that they would switch from their regular brand to sustainable packaging, yet only 24% of the population have done this frequently in the past. Shoppers are doing it less often than they would like to because purchasing sustainable packaging is not the most significant driver for all shoppers all of the time.
Sustainability needs to be part of your brand superiority, but not the whole message. Unless ‘born-sustainable’, brands still need to emphasise their original reason to buy and not focus solely on any green pledges made.
2. Make sustainability
an easy choice
Bringing packaging changes to market will increase production costs in many cases, and manufacturers will need to pass price rises onto consumers.
Some shoppers are willing to pay extra. We know that Eco Actives are more likely to buy sustainable brands, which tend to be more expensive. However, most are not willing. Manufacturers and retailers need to work together to remove the barriers of cost and any fears of compromised product quality.
Brands need to make any sustainable changes to packaging as visible as possible, making it clear there has been a change.
3. Think beyond
packaging
Despite climate change being the top concern globally, plastic waste has emerged as the focus when shopping. For shoppers, dealing with their carbon footprint is a more complex concept than packaging, which is tangible both in-store and at home. For example, just 13% of shoppers regularly look for carbon-zero labels on packaging.
But now is the time to educate consumers about the benefits of reducing their carbon footprint. Believing we can make a difference is a crucial motivator for both Actives and Considerers, and brands that can tell this story to consumers can benefit. New cross-brand initiatives to develop a green score or single label mean this is likely to be more prominent in future decision-making.
These recommendations can help you win not just with the Eco Actives but also the Eco Considerers and Eco Dismissers, helping to close the Value-Action gap, which today is worth $806 billion to the FMCG industry.
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Who Cares? Who Does?
2019
Who Cares? Who Does?
2020
