Marketing and Comms
How brands are evolving in the area of sustainability marketing and communications — and how their stakeholders are asserting their own needs and preferences.
BIER Guides Beverage Companies on Water Circularity
Cross-Posted from Waste Not. The Guide provides easy-to-follow processes, as well as important considerations when pivoting focus from on-site techniques to off-site circularity endeavors.
Trending: Reports Call for Fashion to End Its Wicked Ways
Cross-Posted from Supply Chain. New reports by Zero Waste Europe and Planet Tracker slam the industry for piecemeal attempts at sustainability and circularity; where it fails to adopt more holistic approaches and take greater responsibility for environmental and social issues, investors must help move the needle.
‘Our Waters’ Documentary Highlights One Community’s Fight to Protect Its Coast from Commercial Exploitation
As salmon demand has grown, so too have large-scale, environmentally destructive aquaculture projects. The community of Frenchman Bay, Maine is fighting a plan to build North America’s largest industrialized, open-net fish farms in their backyard.
H&M’s 'Loooptopia' Metaverse Experience Rewards Players for Creating Circular Fashion
The new H&M Loooptopia Experience on Roblox allows users to experiment with their digital identity and learn about fashion and circularity in a fun, creative and playful environment.
Two Years On, Amazon Lead Reflects on Success, Opportunities Within Climate Pledge Friendly Program
The retailer’s marketplace for more sustainable products now includes 300,000 products and 20,000 brands vetted through a range of well-known certifications.
Our Innate Psychology Is Fueling the Climate Crisis — Here’s How to Combat It
We can’t keep communicating about climate change in ways that feed our evolutionary prejudices and continue kicking the can down the road. We must outsmart our biases using strategic communication tactics so we can take action when it matters — which is now. Here are 3 ways to hack our brains for climate action.
2022 Trends in Purpose and What They Mean for the Year Ahead
Cross-Posted from The Next Economy. This year, we saw companies double-down on purpose amidst a rise in consumer skepticism and politically motivated attacks on ESG. Below are six notable trends and what they might mean for 2023.
Politics and Purpose: The US Consumer Response to Purpose-Driven Marketing Across the Political Spectrum
How does identifying with a certain political party, generation or minority group influence whether consumers think more highly or more disapprovingly of a brand taking on a cause? Here is what we learned.
Great Expectations: Evaluating ESG Initiatives to Reach Target Consumers
When it comes to ESG initiatives and their relationship to consumer behavior, there’s no one-size-fits-all approach; but leveraging ongoing research into consumer attitudes can help align corporate ESG initiatives that can help steer your brand through uncharted waters and changing sentiments.
L'Oréal USA Product Labeling System Aims to Educate Consumers About the Environmental Impact of Products
New survey finds 83% of US consumers value brand product transparency, but only 47% feel they have the information to make sustainability-based purchasing decisions. Impact labeling will begin with Garnier products and roll out progressively across L'Oréal's brand portfolio.
Record Number of Companies Recognize Biodiversity Risks, But Struggling to Turn Commitments Into Action
Cross-Posted from Finance & Investment. Self-reported data from over 7,700 companies that responded to questions on biodiversity through CDP’s climate change questionnaire shows they are ready to disclose on biodiversity, sending a powerful signal to negotiators ahead of COP15.
UN Forum on Business and Human Rights, Day 3: Responsible Lobbying vs ‘Corporate Capture’
For most readers, bribery or corruption aren’t part of your everyday experience — though they should be part of due diligence processes on your business partners and supply chain. However, the danger that one department says one thing and another does something different and inconsistent is clear in every company.
The V Model: Validity, Vulnerability and Elon Musk
The financial and reputational freefall that Eli Lilly experienced in the first few weeks of Musk’s tenure as Twitter chief illustrated an underappreciated factor in an organization’s level of vulnerability: validity. Companies need a risk model that includes the key elements of vulnerability — and that helps them take precautions, set up checkpoints and plan for contingencies.
New Guide Shows How CMOs Can Mainstream Sustainability by Closing Say-Do Gap for Good
BCG and the CMO Sustainability Accelerator — a coalition that includes Sustainable Brands, ANA and Adweek — have developed a practical guide to help brands “bring green to the mainstream” by developing and marketing sustainable choices for all consumers, not just those moved by sustainability claims.
Harnessing the Power of Social Media for Good Delivers Brand Trust and Loyalty While Driving Meaningful Change
When done thoughtfully, brands can use social media to champion sustainable living and generate positive outcomes that are favorable to people, the planet and their overall business results.
Brand Blind Spots, Empty Promises Hindering Effective Action Against Plastic Pollution
Cross-Posted from Chemistry, Materials & Packaging. As seen in ongoing incidents of greenwashing and a new Greenpeace report, the onus is on consumer product manufacturers to take more comprehensive approaches to stemming their flow of plastic into the world — and turning the tide of public opinion.
New Cookbook Showcases Meals That Benefit Both Human and Planetary Health
"The Cookbook in Support of the United Nations: For People and Planet" features 75 recipes divided into sections on food systems, biodiversity, sustainable consumption, food and climate change, and food waste — and shares each dish’s carbon footprint.
Supply Chain Waste, Consumer Demand Highlight Business Case for Transparency
Cross-Posted from Supply Chain. A new study examines the waste challenges companies are facing due to the global supply chain crisis and how they are being tackled, and how consumer priorities impact waste — they now report prioritizing product durability and transparency over sustainability.
Purpose-Driven Brands Continue to Encourage More Conscious Consumption Habits in Antidote to Black Friday
Cross-Posted from Behavior Change. As US consumers report more conservative gifting plans due to money worries, alternatives such as Freitag’s S.W.A.P. events and Poshmark’s Secondhand Sunday meet the downshift in enthusiasm for the Black Friday shopping frenzy.
Climate Change in the Divided States: Why Polarization Should Be Sustainability’s Most Important Issue
If we continue to be distracted by our biennial game of political ping-pong, we are unlikely to avoid the most devastating impacts of climate change — unless we fundamentally address the underlying causes of polarization and disinformation as part of our sustainability agenda.
