Your words are powerful. They factor into the market success of your sustainable
product innovations — and they can build or erode consumer trust in your brand.
So, as the saying goes, with great marketing power comes great responsibility to
choose the right words for your sustainability communications. This is where
partnership can help.
At Eastman, we’ve seen firsthand that
collaborative partnerships are key to developing material innovations. As we
pioneer molecular
recycling
and supply recycled-content materials, we’re also discovering the important
roles these partnerships can play in communicating with consumers. We invite
your brand to learn from our experience.
Data-driven partnerships
It started with data. Our consumer research proved invaluable early in our
journey into molecular-recycled materials: Our findings guided how we positioned
our new products in the market. We also saw how the insights we gathered were
helping the brands that use our materials better understand how their consumers
think about sustainability and sustainable materials, and how to effectively
talk about these topics. This led to a breakthrough in how we support our
customers' goals.
Now, we conduct customized consumer research to intentionally help brands
communicate their sustainable actions as consumer-facing value propositions by
providing relevant, tailored insights. Together with our customers, we create
more authentic messaging that resonates — ultimately leading to brand affinity
and consumer loyalty.
At this point, we’ve surveyed more than 50,000 consumers globally to understand
their sustainability knowledge and expectations. At the same time, we’re
building long-term relationships that go beyond supplier and customer — we're
developing partners and advocates for the systemic changes needed to make a
circular economy a reality.
Case study: Procter & Gamble
Our work with Procter & Gamble (P&G) illustrates what
this collaborative, data-driven approach can look like in real life.
When introducing molecularly recycled Eastman
Renew
materials into Herbal Essences
bottles,
P&G wanted to develop a simple yet effective way to communicate the benefits of
the recycled-content bottles to consumers — first for Herbal Essences and,
eventually, across other brands. To do this effectively, they needed to know:
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Words and claims that resonate
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Brand-specific insights
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Important consumer purchase drivers
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How consumers perceive molecular recycling
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What consumers expect brands to communicate in recycled-content claims
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How consumer demographics influence expectations
To find the answers, we worked together to craft a variety of claims for
testing. We created claims that described key value propositions of Eastman
Renew materials, as well as language and logos specific to P&G’s products.
Our research team then surveyed 4,000 consumers in the United States and
Europe to evaluate which claims P&G’s key audiences find most
understandable, compelling and effective for learning about the company’s new
recycled-content packaging.
Key takeaways
Sustainability seals the deal: This research reiterated an insight we’ve
seen across other markets and product categories: Sustainability alone does
not sell a product or make a good product. Safety and performance come first and
foremost for consumers, and the product must meet consumers’ primary needs.
Sustainability can then seal the purchase when it builds on a foundation of
safety and performance.
Claims that come out on top: Consumers responded positively to the concept
of molecular recycling. Despite its newness to consumers, the data showed that
brands shouldn’t shy away from talking about it. Out of 20 claims around
molecular recycling, recyclability, recycled content and waste diversion all
appeared in the top five most compelling claims. Consumers also favored messages
that included more than one of these claims. In particular, they want products
that have recycled content and are recyclable. (If your brand is relying
solely on one attribute or the other, it’s likely your audiences want to hear
about both.)
Be clear, specific and present: In our logo tests, consumers preferred
common, recognizable language that clearly communicated the sustainability
benefit or characteristic. The majority of both US and European consumers
preferred a logo that featured a percentage of recycled content. (There’s a
reason the FTC Green
Guides
and other regulatory
guidelines
call on brands to use clear, specific language — and considering this insight
can also help your brand align with FTC and other guidelines.) Additionally, 84
percent of consumers preferred claims to be located directly on the packaging —
their top choice compared to store signage, e-commerce sites and social media.
Building opportunities together
Our collaboration resulted in rich, action-ready insights. Overall, we found:
-
Consumers value sustainable products, respond positively to recyclability
and recycled-content messaging, and desire sustainability information at the
point of sale.
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Sustainable materials combined with the right language have the potential to
build consumer trust and affinity — plus, brand loyalty.
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A more informed approach to communicating product sustainability leads to
greater relevance for a brand’s key audiences.
-
Customized insights help tell an accurate, authentic story that resonates
and compels.
Moving forward, Eastman and P&G will continue to leverage consumer insights to
evolve sustainability messaging related to Eastman Renew materials. Our initial
research creates a springboard for further research opportunities, too,
including:
-
Answering new brand and market-specific questions
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Discovering how consumers interact with messaging at the point of sale
-
Exploring which messages work best via which channels, including social
media
By offering high-quality, sustainably made products with the right messaging,
brands can gain continued support to transition toward a circular economy. The
“right” messaging will always involve being clear, specific and transparent —
but learning which words and claims will meet consumers’ expectations, build
their trust and inspire their purchases will require research best done though
collaborative partnerships.
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Eastman
Published May 15, 2024 6am EDT / 3am PDT / 11am BST / 12pm CEST