How brands are successfully communicating their sustainability efforts — and how their stakeholders are asserting their own needs and preferences
As we indulge in holiday goodies, food waste becomes an inevitable consequence. This holiday season, a projected 50,375 tons of food and drink will be thrown out; Zero Waste Scotland (ZWS) is aiming to show citizens how to avoid this – and to save money – simply by shopping smart and avoiding food waste. According to figures from ZWS, in December alone Scots are expected to throw away over 3.5 million mince pies, more than 240,000 Christmas puddings, and the equivalent of over 100,000 turkeys. Using these items up – or not over-buying them in the first place – could represent a potential saving of over £3 million.
Earlier this year, Radley Yeldar launched its 2016 Fit for Purpose Index, which explores how global brands are adapting to the shifting expectations from their stakeholders to play a positive role in society. The research was conducted at a global level, which gives insight into how purpose breaks down over three major regions: Europe, North America and Asia. One of the findings from the research is that the global community remains incredibly diverse when it comes to engaging with purpose.
If ever there was a time for the world’s leading brands to show leadership in sustainability, that time is now. Globally, the political resolve to combat climate change is being challenged by the arrival of a new US president who considers global warming a “hoax.” Resource scarcity and shrinking biodiversity are a growing concern for more and more areas of the planet. Immigration fears are being stoked by nationalist politicians throughout the world; and attaining racial and gender diversity continues to be an unattained goal in many parts of global society.
The National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) has voted unanimously to update U.S. organic standards to exclude ingredients derived from next-generation genetic engineering and gene editing.
There has been a millennial marketplace shift - the type of companies that this generation of consumers want to patronize - and work for - are companies that align with their personal values. How is the consumer informed of those values? Long-form storytelling is becoming increasingly powerful in its ability to communicate story in a way that can enhance brand value, relate purpose to consumers and act as a ‘social insurance policy.’
Cross-Posted from New Metrics. Drawing on the work of Reporting 3.0 - in particular, its Reporting Blueprint and forthcoming Accounting Blueprint - this panel on the final afternoon of New Metrics ‘16 facilitated an animated discussion on true materiality, exploring the broad range of definitions of materiality, and whether they may coalesce into a more common definition or continue to be disparate for different audiences.
Certification has, over the years, played a significant role in the development and execution of ethical supply chain programs across industries, providing frameworks within which brands can analyze and make improvements to their practices and business models. It has also provided a means to communicate brand values and commitment to these values to the public. Though certification has evolved to become an essential component of the corporate landscape, it still faces a number of challenges.
Throughout Sustainable Brands’ New Metrics ’16 event this week, I expect to hear a continual drumbeat of the need to measure impact. That is how it should be. As a panellist for the session on “Demonstrating the Impact of Sustainability Labels and Certification,” I will be one of those discussing why businesses need to measure the social and environmental impact of their sustainable sourcing programs and how they can find out about the impact of sustainability standards.
Moving the needle on consumer behavior remains a monumental task - but a necessary one if we are to achieve the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). With household consumption accounting for nearly 70 percent of economic activity in the United States, consumers’ choices can make a real difference. At the same time, consumers are faced with so many decisions in their day-to-day lives that “decision fatigue” is commonplace. We cannot expect consumers to weigh the environmental and social implications of each of their actions and purchases.
With over 8.7 million views on YouTube already, Leonardo DiCaprio’s documentary film Before the Flood is already making waves.
Earlier this year, yogurt giant Dannon announced new sustainable agriculture and non-GMO commitments. Now, farm organizations have decided that food companies 'jumping on the anti-GMO bandwagon' cannot go unchallenged.
The relationship between brands and people is being transformed before our very eyes; the old-fashioned, binary model of companies selling and people consuming is dead. Traditional, rigid hierarchies of control are being replaced with more fluid and open peer-to-peer networks. We are rapidly adopting the principles of a sharing economy as the mainstream norm and there is a new world order forming. You can choose to see this as either a challenge or an opportunity but the brands that will win are the movement brands that are brave enough to let their consumers take an equal stake in setting the agendas and creating content.
A growing number of investors are looking for high-quality information on a company’s sustainability performance. Earlier this year Larry Fink, CEO of Blackrock, called on S&P 500 CEOs to demonstrate how environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors contribute to long-term commercial success.
Beginning Sunday, October 30, climate change will take over primetime on National Geographic. The channel has announced it will host its first-ever Earth Week, which will air six straight days of primetime programming dedicated exclusively to climate change in 171 countries and 45 languages.
Aluminum roller and recycler Novelis has teamed up with digital content provider Discovery Education on an all-new aluminum recycling education program, "Life of a Can - A Never Ending Story." The program is intended to empower students to make a positive environmental impact through standards-aligned lesson plans and interactive classroom activities focused on Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM).
Jaclyn Murphy, Director of Brand Purpose at Edelman, opened an inspiring session on Wednesday afternoon where brand purpose was made tangible in four brands - Arla Foods, Unilever, BT and Neste - that shared their experience and insights about how they are working to engage consumers in their purpose and get them involved in creating a change.
On Tuesday, Chipotle celebrated National Taco Day by launching new chorizo tacos, but some have speculated that the promotional release might just be one more way the Tex-Mex chain is trying to regain customers following multiple food-safety scares last year.
Consumers are expecting a new dynamic in the relationship they build with brands. The team from Edelman gathered a full room at Wednesday’s lunch time session to unveil the breakthrough ‘2016 Earned Brand’ research study for the first time. The purpose-centric data surveyed 13,000 consumers in 13 countries about their interaction with their favorite brands.
“Purpose is like Pokémon - everybody is chasing it and nobody knows why,” “Mr. Goodvertising,” Thomas Kolster, mused at the start of the Tuesday morning plenary session at SB’16 Copenhagen. Articulating purpose is central to modern branding. And in a world where the majority of market value is drawn from intangible assets, “brand is king,” Kolster said.
Cross-Posted from Materials & Packaging. Renewable diesel and materials producer Neste and spoken word artist Prince Ea have unveiled the latest collaboration in their Pre-order the Future project, this time with a film that focuses on the future of learning. In “The People vs.