What Both Consumers and Brands Can Do For the Sustainability Cause Right Now

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Seemingly everyone says they want to see the environment improve, but are they taking true steps to create a better future for the planet? Suzy has the data describing what consumers want in this area and how brands should respond.

Headlines about alarming environmental issues continue to provide important information to the public, but there’s also some good news about the ways in which mankind is responding to the emergency. Many believe this is a “new era of sustainability,” with corporations and mom and pop makers alike getting on board the environmentally-conscious train.

“We’ve never quite seen so much innovation,” said Matt Britton, founder & CEO of Suzy, during a recent webinar, “State of the Consumer: How Sustainable Actions Speak Louder Than Words.” “There’s a whole lot of passion, especially with the millennials entering the c-suite and Gen Z having a louder and louder voice. It’s really a fascinating time.”

Consumers prioritize sustainability, too, and look to brands for leadership. But for true change to take place there must be even more commitment on the part of both parties.

Britton spoke about what consumers and brands can do to have a more positive environmental impact with a panel of industry insiders, while presenting compelling Suzy insights on the topic. Here are some key takeaways:

Consumers need more education

Virtually every person (92%) Suzy surveyed in a March 15 poll of 1,000 Americans said they want to live a sustainable life. However, a large number of consumers (20%) said they do not need to change their ways at all because they are already doing enough to serve the environment well. Another recent study revealed, similarly, that an outsized number of people think they’re currently living a sustainable existence. 

Yet many of our environmental problems persist. 

Consumers tell Suzy they recycle (62%) and donate old items (51%). But that’s not enough because, unfortunately, less than 10% of plastic trash thrown in bins in the last four decades has actually been recycled and 84% of donated clothing still ends up in landfills and incinerators. 

Consumers can’t be blamed for those outcomes, though, and given their eagerness to truly contribute to the sustainability cause, brands can fill the consumer knowledge gap by educating them about how they can have an impact, perhaps through their products. 

“I definitely think it continues to be a huge opportunity for brands to put sustainability as a core brand equity pillar in terms of how they communicate with their audiences,” said Britton. 

Such initiatives — and actually fulfilling their sustainability promises — establishes brand trust with consumers and gives them license to feel good about their purchases. 

Consumers want brands to be honest and take action

More than half of consumers (55%) tell Suzy they want brands to be open and honest about their sustainability efforts. But they also don’t want brands to simply talk about sustainability just to appeal to them, which 58% of consumers believe is the case. 

Still, brand messaging about sustainability will be embraced by consumers, as long as it’s backed up with action. Consumers tell Suzy they most want brands to use sustainable materials in production and limit packaging to cut down on waste.

Companies are already responding to this piece of data. Suzy has seen an uptick in sustainability testing through its In-home Usage Testing (IHUT). CPG brands, particularly in beauty, pharmaceuticals, and cleaning, rely on IHUTs to test its packaging prior to launching to ensure that they meet market expectations for sustainability.  In general, consumers tend to favor sustainable packaging over other options.

Brands need to get explicit

Sheba cat food is one brand that doesn’t shy away from promoting its sustainability efforts. Arshbir Ghuman, Director of the Value Channel at Mars Wrigley, Sheba’s parent company, says the company proudly delivers messaging about the work it’s done to preserve coral reefs.

“There’s a wide range of roles that brands can play, but you really need to understand and look at your brand strategy to figure out: What is that role?” Ghuman told Britton. “That’s really question number one.”

Because there’s so much misinformation spreading around the world today, it will behoove brands to be extremely clear about how they’re fulfilling their role as environmental go gooders. 

Holly Caggiano, a postdoctoral researcher at Princeton University’s Andlinger Center For Energy And the Environment, applauded Levi Strauss & Co. for their transparency in reporting its sustainability efforts with data that shows how the corporation is acting more responsibly.

“Having the data publicly available, making it clear, making it understandable for consumers” is key to Levi’s messaging success, Caggiano said. She added that the company is “not over highlighting one area” in its report, “but being pretty clear,” while also freely announcing “where they can do better.”

Nickie Cashdollar, Sustainability Manager at AppHarvest, a sustainability-focused produce company, said she sees a trend of companies “trying to pass the responsibility onto the consumers” to enable more environmentally conscious practices. Still, she concedes those companies deserve credit for taking some action. 

She said many airlines are offering the consumer an option to pay an extra fee to save carbon emissions, with explainers on what exactly that money is buying them — and the planet.

“I’m also thinking about shipment,” Cashdollar continued. “You can pay more to have your material shipped to you in a more efficient way — equating to carbon savings — or maybe you can wait longer for your package to arrive to equate to more carbon savings. So you can see that brands are becoming very strategic about it.”

For more information on how consumers, with the aid of brands, can live more sustainable lives, watch the entire webinar at Suzy.com.