As a young person working every day with brands who are taking on serious social
and environmental issues, the events of this past year have left me feeling
overwhelmed and reflective. The outrage and protests in the wake of George
Floyd’s murder and the disproportionate impact of the
pandemic on people of
color helped push the issue of racism in the US to the forefront of the
global conversation. No longer is it enough for brands to support racial
equality with gestures, words, or black squares on social media. People expect
brands to be actively anti-racist — and this is especially true of the younger
generation.
In the midst of last year’s turmoil, BBMG and GlobeScan asked 27,000
people globally to share their
experiences of the moment we’re in and their desires for the future they want.
The most profound headline from the study, Radically Better Future,
was that 60 percent of people under age 30 globally say that in building the
post-pandemic recovery, the priority should be on “restructuring our economy
so it deals better with challenges like inequality and climate change” —
rather than just “getting our economy back to normal as soon as possible,”
compared to 53 percent of respondents over age 30. The next generation is ready
for structural change, and racial justice is a key element of that.
I believe in a radical restructuring over a return to
normal
— though the definition of “normal” is varied and problematic in and of itself,
especially in the United States.
DEI and sustainability: The ROI of inclusive corporate cultures
Join us as leaders from the Accomplis Collective, Bard, Beneficial State Foundation, ReEngineering HR and REI share best practices for cultivating a culture of belonging and insights into how inclusive leadership can lead to more effective and equitable sustainability outcomes — Wednesday, Oct. 16, at SB'24 San Diego.
“Normal” tends to uphold the norms and comforts of white America, while
deprioritizing or leaving out BIPOC voices and needs. As a daughter of Chinese
immigrants, I have been directly and indirectly affected by unjust systems of
oppression for immigrants, Indigenous and Black people in this country. Many
systems — from education, to the economy, to healthcare — have failed us. I don’t
know if I see a ‘normal America’ that I would like to return to.
Rewriting the norms of business
This time of overwhelm and reflection presents an important opportunity for
businesses and brands — an opportunity to do more than they’ve been doing in
service of who they're impacting. Like never before, we’re seeing brands asking
how their products and their story are being received by diverse communities, and
how they are impacting their everyday lives.
Our study reinforced that young people are looking for bold leadership from
brands to meet the challenges facing humanity. They will support brands — or
reject them — based on whether and how they take
action.
Nearly one-third of people under 30 strongly believe that companies and their
brands are an essential part of the solution; and 44 percent strongly agree
that they try to support companies and brands whose purpose is to make a
positive difference in society through their products, services and operations.
"Brands and corporations have a moral responsibility to act in the times that
we are in now — especially considering their role in capitalism and how that
impacts injustices in our society.”
— Gigi, 30, Los Angeles, CA
“I think it's important that brands make public statements
about how they feel about the things that are going on, whether that's with
racial injustice or equity issues or just with the pandemic. I think it's
important that they are hiring people that represent the people that use their
brand — whether that's people of color, women, people of different sexual orientations — so that people are seeing people that look like them using these brands and working at these brands.”
— Jakerya, 23, Baltimore, MD
“It’s got to start with companies designing things, so that we can live comfortably and live responsibly at the same time.”
— Jonathan, 23, New York, NY
We also learned that one in five young people in the US have protested
publicly at events and rallies in the past year. And Gen Zers in the US are
nearly twice as likely as Boomers to strongly support organizing boycotts
against companies they think are irresponsible. They are raising their voices
to pressure our institutions to take urgent action.
In a time of shifting paradigms, not just shifting preferences, how can brands
best meet this moment?
How to build a regenerative brand
As many in the Sustainable Brands™ community have begun to recognize,
building a “sustainable brand” means broadening the definition of “sustainable.”
The next frontier of sustainability is
regeneration
— building brands that actively restore and renew a system. And that’s as true
for our systems that continue to allow racial injustice as for our environmental
ecosystems.
Regenerative
brands use what
they’re best at to fix problems beyond their own business, consumers and
shareholders. They are designed for leadership in the world we live in and for
the future we want. Regenerative Brands don’t wait to take the lead on issues
that can’t wait.
To be a regenerative brand, a brand must cultivate three attributes: It must be
Aware, Additive and Alive.
Aware
When brands make pronouncements or platitudes that aren’t true to their values,
young people can see right through it. They see that they’re not really
listening to the cultural conversation. So, being an Aware brand starts with
being able to sit in the discomfort of not knowing the answer, or doing things
differently than what’s been done before.
Regenerative brands listen with intention to what consumers are saying, to what
the folks working within your company are saying. Through active listening to
what people want, what the world needs, and what your brand can uniquely offer,
ideas for new products, services and experiences that deliver meaningful
connection, brand loyalty and indispensable value in people’s lives can be
revealed.
One Aware brand taking action on racial justice is Ulta Beauty — which
established an internal governance
team
advised by beauty entrepreneur, activist and actor Tracee Ellis Ross to
continue holistically reviewing its diversity and inclusion progress. This
internal team and external partner hold Ulta Beauty accountable to its bold
commitments — such as doubling the number of Black-owned brands in its
assortment by 2021, and investing $25 million to create more personal
connections with LatinX, Black and POC communities.
Additive
Regenerative brands give more than they take, and recognize our fundamental
connection and interdependence as part of a living ecosystem. They unite what’s
meaningful for consumers with what’s material to the business, to delight their
customers and transform their categories.
An Additive brand that advocates for more equitable and inclusive hiring
practices is Dave’s Killer Bread. The company has pioneered the concept of
second-chance
employment:
Approximately one-third of the more than 300 employee-partners at Dave’s bakery
have a criminal background; the practice especially helps uplift Black
Americans, who are disproportionately affected by a racist prison system.
Alive
Regenerative Brands create energy and momentum in culture to shape who we are
and how we live. As our culture and society are being radically transformed
every day, these brands adapt and evolve in creative relationship with the
people and places they serve. They are space holders, platform builders and
co-creators of ideas and stories designed with — and not just for — their
audiences.
An Alive brand working to combat racism and elevate Black voices is
Target. The retailer, which
offers pro-bono consulting for BIPOC-owned small businesses, has launched a new
badge that highlights Black-owned and -founded brands — such as The Honey Pot
Company, BLK & Bold
Coffee and SoapSox, to name a few — to
foster racial equity in the marketplace.
Regenerative brands can lead the way
Regenerative brands can be part of the solution. A shift toward brands that are
aware, additive and alive will encourage society to question ‘normal’ and
reflect upon how we can create a more equitable, just, and anti-racist future
for all — a future that embraces change, learning and unlearning, and
commitments to bold action.
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Published Feb 22, 2021 7am EST / 4am PST / 12pm GMT / 1pm CET