Blog
SB London Day One:
'Stop Impelling People to Change and Start Compelling Them'

Sustainable Brands’ second annual European conference kicked off on Monday at the Lancaster Hotel in central London with a round of thought-provoking morning plenary sessions. What was on the agenda? The latest tools, trends and models driving the shift toward more sustainable consumption.

SB founder and CEO KoAnn Vikoren Skrzyniarz set the tone for the day’s proceedings by reminding us that revenue from a burgeoning sharing economy is set to exceed $3.5 billion this year and setting out the opportunity for "today’s sustainable brands to become tomorrow’s sustainability heroes" by embracing progressive strategies such as collaborative consumption and a more feminine model of brand leadership.

Jo Confino, editorial director of the Guardian Sustainable Business, compèred today’s event and stressed the overarching need for a new narrative on climate change. “We haven’t developed a good idea of what the world needs to look like. Our current model is one where 'products are the heroes' — we need to visualise one where 'people are the heroes.'”

In the morning’s first two plenaries, Chip Walker of Y&R New York, and Denise Turner of Havas Media Group, described the growing ‘spend-shift’ away from mindless consumption towards mindful purchases. A new survey by BAV found that consumers are feeling increasingly alienated from global business, with just 25% feeling they could trust contemporary firms and a majority stating that “they wouldn’t care if three-quarters of today’s brands disappeared overnight.”

The incentive for spend-shift savvy business is evident: “Meaningful brands” typically out-perform the stock market by 120%, according to Havas’ Meaningful Brand research.

Next, Etienne McManus-White of the Forest Stewardship Council, presented her insights into the challenges posed by the value-action gap:

• Over 80% of consumers polled believed pollution and climate change are very serious concerns.
• 76% believe that the purchasing decisions they make can make a difference to the environment.
• However only 25% are in the habit of researching companies before they use them.

The FSC study identified that consumers were only inclined to switch to green behaviours that directly benefited them, such as by saving them money; otherwise they were likely to maintain that responsibility for ‘fixing’ the environment rested with brands or with the government.

Dorothy MacKenzie, Chairman of Dragon Rouge, added her findings to a growing body of evidence suggesting that consumer’s attitudes to consumption are changing. Apparently, “1 in 4 consumers now feel they’d be better off owning fewer things.” MacKenzie invited brands to recognise this shift as an opportunity for business model innovation and presented examples of how common brands such as McDonald’s, Gillette and B&Q could fit into a new collaborative, service-based landscape.

Next, Geraldine O’ Grady of Mondelēz International delivered the stark warning that our current global coffee consumption is unsustainable. She reported that at present, 25 million smallholder farmers produce 80% of the world’s coffee, but that this farming community is dwindling as fewer young people are prepared to accept an increasingly challenging profession. Mondelez responded with a ‘Coffee Made Happy’ investment program to make local coffee farming both sustainable & rewarding again, and safeguard not only an age-old profession but the future of their brand.

Christopher Sveen of innovation platform Sustainia, finished up the morning’s sessions by presenting the case for a ‘solutions-based’ approach to sustainability. Struggling to generate buy-in for more-sustainable behaviours? “Package sustainability opportunities together with the benefit it offers to your target audience”. Having difficulty escaping from the green niche? “Collaborate with your competitors to grow your market.” Sveen stressed the importance of a ‘cyclical approach to innovation,’ whereby a solution is not the end of the story but a catalyst for a new chapter. Water-monitoring software TakaDu, and novel lighting solution Litre of Light, were presented as examples of the ‘inspirational edge needed to drive sustainability forward.’