COLLABORATION & CO-CREATION -
For years, the answer to the question “Do people really want to buy more sustainable products?” was a profound “sort of.” Surveys consistently show that we aspire to buy responsibly, and we even say we’ll pay more for environmental or socially preferable products. But purchase intent does not always translate to real sales, and companies have often struggled to make sustainable products more mainstream.
CIRCULAR ECONOMY -
More than three-quarters of consumers claim that environmentally-sound packaging has an influence on the beverage brand they buy, according to a new global survey of some 6,000 consumers across 12 different countries.The survey, carried out this year for food processing and packaging solutions firm Tetra Pak, revealed a growing appetite among consumers for products that tick the right environmental boxes. When asked about recent purchasing habits, two-thirds said they have bought environmental products, even when they cost more, while around the same proportion have avoided specific brands or items due to environmental concerns.
CONSUMER BEHAVIOR CHANGE -
“Intrinsic growth of what is already in the organism, or more accurately of what is the organism itself ... self-actualization is growth-motivated rather than deficiency-motivated.” — Abraham MaslowConsumer expectations of sustainable business practices are higher now than ever before, with as much attention being paid to the way a company behaves as to what products or services it offers. And in our interconnected world, consumers are less tolerant of discrepancies between brand claims and news reports of unsustainable and unethical practices. The question “is this company a good corporate citizen?” is increasingly common in consumer decision-making.
CONSUMER BEHAVIOR CHANGE -
While a shift in consumer attitudes away from smoking has been mounting for decades, major brands are now stepping up to do their part to extinguish the unhealthy habit.First, CVS Health Corporation resigned from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce last week, after exposing the Chamber’s involvement in lobbying campaigns against anti-smoking laws. CVS says selling cigarettes is antithetical to its strategy to become a healthcare destination.
NEW METRICS -
I’ve been working in the Sustainability and Corporate Responsibility (CR) field for twenty years. In that time, skeptics have persistently challenged the discipline: Do corporate environmental, social, and governance practices drive or distract from tangible financial, competitive, and wider business performance?On the one hand, anyone who attended SB’15 in San Diego should celebrate the present as the best of times to answer this question. Eyes are opening – backed by rigorous assessment – on the financial and wider competitive potential of low-carbon innovations, circular economic and other breakthrough economic strategies, and base of the pyramid development.
ORGANIZATIONAL GOVERNANCE -
Are you excited about your work? Is it a fulfilling endeavor that you’re proud to take part in and which you enjoy doing? Or is it more of a grind?A recent Gallup survey found that only 30 percent of US workers were “actively engaged and inspired at work,” while 50 percent weren’t engaged and the rest were actively disengaged. Work is just tolerable for half of us and a fifth of us are miserable. This is woeful. Are the bulk of us destined to spend our lives working in unfulfilling roles?
MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS -
One of the a-has from our soon-to-be-released 2015 Eco Pulse study is that, indeed, a company’s sustainability or social responsibility commitment is a reason to love the brand. In fact, when we asked Americans, “Can you name a brand you love?” and then asked, “Why?” CSR reasons were almost as prevalent as core functionality or performance features.By the way, the brands listed as loved brands weren’t niche-y “green” brands - they were mainstream.
INNOVATION & TECHNOLOGY -
Today we can access vast quantities of information from countless sources to help us make better decisions quickly.My cell phone can help me find a restaurant with the type of food I like, at a price I like, and with a customer satisfaction rating. I can get directions to the restaurant, including current traffic conditions. And if I don’t want to drive myself, Uber can take care of that.All of this is possible, yet when I go to my grocery store I’m still unclear as to what’s in the products I buy and where they came from.Is this can of soup lined with BPA? Are there GMOs in it? What’s the environmental impact of this product? Can I recycle it?
STAKEHOLDER TRENDS AND INSIGHTS -
The “green gap” is alive and well, yet many companies and marketers still don’t seem to notice. On the one hand, we continue to see a massive influx of passionate consumers telling us they are willing to pay a premium for products from socially and environmentally responsible companies.
INNOVATION & TECHNOLOGY -
We marketers can be obsessed with generational trends. How many meetings have you had lately on what Millennials think of your brand? Or what Generation Z means for your digital strategy?And yet, while important, we may be asking the wrong questions — or at least seeking insights and revelations in the wrong place.
STAKEHOLDER TRENDS AND INSIGHTS -
For me, this was hands-down the most entertaining session of SB ‘15 San Diego. If you ever get the opportunity to attend a panel moderated by Edelman's Henk Campher, I highly recommend it.He set the mood for 60-minute breakout by welcoming everyone to “the panel on sustainable fracking.” Then we quickly dove into conversation on turning consumers into activists.Or as Campher put it, “Why should anyone give a shit?”
ORGANIZATIONAL GOVERNANCE -
It's an incredible, mostly missed opportunity: 70 percent of U.S. workers are not engaged at work, and yet organizations with high employee engagement have 147 percent higher earnings per share. Not surprisingly, employee engagement was one of the major topics this week at SB '15 San Diego.
CIRCULAR ECONOMY -
Couldn't make ittoSB '15 San Diego?View this session'spresentationhereand catch up onthe week's
STAKEHOLDER TRENDS AND INSIGHTS -
Following an energy-filled morning at SB ‘15 San Diego, David Hawksworth of Given London kicked off an afternoon workshop by asking, “How do we combine the skills of marketing and sustainability professionals?”
INNOVATION & TECHNOLOGY -
SB ‘15 San Diego kicked off Monday morning, with Paradise Point in Mission Bay serving as an inspirational backdrop to what promises to be a thought-provoking week of workshops, networking and breakout sessions.
STAKEHOLDER TRENDS AND INSIGHTS -
“Are you a part of the problem, or are you a part of the solution?” Simon Mainwaring asked attendees of the opening morning workshop at SB ’15 San Diego on Monday, before introducing the seven panelists who shared complementary global market observations and interpretations.
STAKEHOLDER TRENDS AND INSIGHTS -
Global consumers feel a personal accountability to address social and environmental issues and look to companies as partners in progress, according to findings from the 2015 Cone Communications/Ebiquity Global CSR Study, released today.
PRESS RELEASE -
BOSTON (May 27, 2015) – Global consumers feel a personal accountability to address social and environmental issues and look to companies as partners in progress, according to findings from the 2015 Cone Communications/Ebiquity Global CSR Study, released today. Near universal in their demands for companies to act responsibly, nine-in-10 consumers expect companies to do more than make a profit, but also operate responsibly to address social and environmental issues. Global consumers echo that high standard in their own lives and shopping behavior.
MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS -
BMW, Google and Daimler are the world’s most reputable companies, according to the Reputation Institute’s 2015 Global RepTrak® 100.Rolex, LEGO, The Walt Disney Company, Canon, Apple, Sony and Intel rounded out the top ten.The annual survey measures public perceptions of corporate reputations based on seven dimensions: innovation, leadership, governance, citizenship, workplace, performance and products and services.