We do not talk enough about the role marketers play in advertising products that are sent out to the world in a way that does not benefit our planet. I was recently reminded through this platform, that we, advertisers, have a role to play in acknowledging brands who care, or make a concerted effort in achieving marketing practises which promote the sustainability of industry.
I want to zero in on the practical.
For industries which cannot avoid packaging and especially those with the scope to protect, prolong or reduce product waste, my narrative will be especially frustrating. While I am not positioning as an eco-warrior, as a marketer, I do ask myself many questions about the lack of traction in regard to sustainability.
Are companies who choose to avoid the excessive use of single use plastics, blister packs or disposables, favoured by consumers?
We all have a vague assumption, environmental impact model or market study to support the narrative that this isn't always the case. So, perhaps, it is time to raise a bigger question.
Alexis Eyre and, Flourish says it best when they say: ''We accelerate sustainability. Because there is no future of business without a future for the planet''.
Are our industries simply complacent, or are they stuck in the status quo?
An educated guess takes me to the food industry - because I have extensive knowledge in that industry, and because, as a passion project, I started a small food pop-up business a couple of years ago.
I had a choice to make early on, and while the numbers didn't add up at all - I chose to serve food using eco-packaging options.
In my country, it is considerably more expensive to make that choice for a food business. This type of packaging is hard to procure and is often in scarce supply. I have to buy in bulk, I also have to charge my customers more which makes my food offering less price competitive, and I have to raise capital to invest in eco-packaging. Lastly, I have to remain lucid and model environmental production and shipping impact in this scenario too!
But guess what? This mad/costly/complicated idea (for my country), which I got stuck on anyways .... well, it paid off.
Most customers simply LOVE the fact that I give them a sustainable choice. (I'll also mention that this also elevates the commercial value and presentation appeal of the food - compostable is quaint, desirable and marketable).
If businesses would make the choice to overcome THE COST to the business, and the COST to the consumer, I would hazard a guess that many would succeed in achieving high desirability among their consumers. Also, failing to recognize that inevitably, when nothing changes, everyone is forced to adapt and to adopt some form of compromise is failing to anticipate much bigger financial risks ahead.
I am curious, are there small sustainable changes you can make in your business today? Are there reasons why this can't work for your business?
