thegreentakeFiled under: Sustainability News, Your customers want your products to be green | Tags: Brands, China, Germany, India, Innovation, Sustainable Development, United Kingdom, United States
One third of consumers combine a materialistic orientation with an aspiration to purchase sustainable goods. Style and social status are key motivators for this segment called ‘Aspirationals’.
No, we are not talking about the ‘Advocates’ formerly known as’Treehuggers’ which represent 14% of consumers. Advocates are driven by responsibility and guilt, actively search for products with social or environmental benefits and are prepared to pay more for sustainable alternatives.
To Aspirationalist, shopping is not associated with guilt – at all. ‘Shopping contributes to happiness’. Aspirationalist love to try new things, want to look good and are very much concerned about their social status.
These are among the results of the ‘Regeneration Roadmap’ study by BBMP, GlobeScan and SustainAbility, based on an online survey among over 6000 consumers in Bresil, India, China, Germany, United Kingdom and Unites Sates.
In fact, Aspirationals represent the ‘persuadable’ middle segment. Consumer goods companies should be carefully studying the needs and drivers of this group. Aspirationalists are always on the outlook for sustainable alternatives, and would buy products if this would connect them with their community of peers with shared values.
How to recognize the Aspirationalists? They can be found amongst all age groups, with a significant higher share of households with kids. In China even one in two consumers can be counted among this group. A handicap: Consumers will not automatically find products and brands that are conceived with a reduced environmental or positive social impact. Above average, this group trusts advice of friends and peers.
The challenge for companies will be to convince this well-connected group about the sustainability benefits of products despite their lack of trust in green claims or labels. Companies should consider social branding initiatives that make consumers connect with communities of peers, trust the social or environmental benefits and become – what’s in a name – advocates of sustainable brands.
The opportunity lies in the aspirations people have: sustainability connected with social status, style and a feeling of community. Companies not only should concentrate on developing green and socially responsible products, but create cóol products with great performance and sustainable benefits that people can be proud off.
In other words: Forget about the Treehuggers. Convince the Aspirationals.
Sources:
http://theregenerationroadmap.com/about-the-project/
http://www.sustainability.com/news/the-regeneration-roadmap-launches-consumer-survey
Filed under: Corporate Social Responsibility, Directions for Sustainable Innovation | Tags: Circular, Diversity, Inclusion, Sustainable Development, Sustainable Innovation, Transparency, Trust, well-being
2012 was a great year.
2013 can only get better.
From Conversation to Co-creation.
From Buying Less to Sharing More.
From Diversity to Inclusion.
From Minimizing Impact to Circular Thinking.
From Contacting to Connecting.
From GDP to Well-Being.
From Treehuggers to Aspirationalists.
From Responsibility to Innovation.
From Doing Less Harm to Doing Good.
From Transparency to Trust.
I wish you a healthy and inspirational 2013.
Jacobine Das Gupta.
twitter: @thegreentake
Filed under: Corporate Social Responsibility, Sustainability News | Tags: Corporate Responsibility, http://responsiblebusiness.haas.berkeley.edu/Women_Create_Sustainable_Value_FINAL_10_2012.pdf, Sustainable Development, Women
‘Corporations build better societies if they have balanced boards’. Kellie McElhaney found that companies with one or more women on their boards are significantly more likely to have improved sustainability practices. “This is not a women’s or men’s issue, it’s a collective and business opportunity,” says McElhaney who is also faculty director, Center for Responsible Business at the University of California, Berkeley’s Haas School of Business.
McElhaney of UC Berkeley Haas School of Business recently published a paper that identifies the relationships beween female coproate directors and corporate sustainability. The study, “Women Create A Sustainable Future,” is co-authored by Sanaz Mobasseri, PhD candidate, Berkeley-Haas Management of Organizations Group, and sponsored by KPMG and Women Corporate Directors (WCD). MSCI Inc. provided the dataset of Fortune 1500 companies and their environmental, social, and governance (ESG) performance, which they have been measuring since 1992.
To measure corporate performance, the authors reviewed each organization’s ESG performance. Environmental criteria include steps to improve energy efficiency of operations, to measure and reduce carbon emissions, the reduction of packaging, and investment in renewable power generation. Examples of social factors include health care access for underserved populations in developing market supply chains, strong employment benefits and performance incentives, products with improved health or nutritional benefits, and products and services to communities with limited or no access to financial products. Finally, governance is defined as avoiding corruption and bribery, clean accounting, and a high level of disclosure and transparency about business practices.
‘The sweet spot is three’. Companies with at least three female board members had a better ESG performance but we’re talking about very few companies who meet this threshold–just three of the 1,500 we studied: Kimberly-Clark, General Motors, and Walmart,” says McElhaney. McElhaney interviewed several female directors to learn more about their personal experiences on a board.
Source: http://responsiblebusiness.haas.berkeley.edu/Women_Create_Sustainable_Value_FINAL_10_2012.pdf
Filed under: Directions for Sustainable Innovation, Sustainability News, Your customers want your products to be green | Tags: Business Disciplines, Control, Engagement, Human Resources, Innovation, Marketing, Organizations, Purchasing, Sales, Sustainability
Sustainability knowledge and tactics will be diffused accross organizations. It will be embedded in all functional areas. Which is a great thing.
All disciplines will be affected. Employees will need to be involved and trained in new areas that are logical extentions of their current activities, but with a sustainability focus:
- Marketeers will be inspired by the new market dynamics related to environmental and social issues. All marketeers will learn about what works and what won’t in Green Marketing.
- Innovators will be challenged to develop new products that create user benefits ánd create a positive social change, with reduced ecological impact
- Sales reps will be trained to identify customer sustainability expectations and convince them of the advantages of new business models.
- Purchasing will intensify at one hand the sustainable supplier criteria and audits, and at the other hand the cooperation with suppliers to search for sustainable sourcing solutions.
- Controllers will be asked to track progress against social and environmental parameters in addition to the traditional financial indicators.
- Human Resources have already discovered the power of Sustainability as a means to attract and retain employees. They will be encouraged to develop engagement plans and bonus plans that include sustainability performance indicators.
All functions will be affected. Yet a small group at headquarters will need to stay in place. This central sustainability team will be there to overview and align the companies sustainability activities, share best practices, set the companies KPIs, benchmark and track market developments and update the sustainability strategy accordingly.
More information on sustainability developments and best practices in my book ‘Your customers want your products to be green’. The book contains insights based on interviews with 19 senior sustainability & CSR managers of European frontrunners. Let me know what you think about it!
Filed under: Corporate Social Responsibility, Directions for Sustainable Innovation, ONG, Sustainability News, Your customers want your products to be green | Tags: Book, CSR, Finland, France, Germany, Sustainable Development, Sustainable Innovation, Sweden, The Netherlands, UK
I am proud to announce my new book:
‘Your customers want your products to be green’
During the last few years I have had the chance to interact with senior managers of European sustainability frontrunners.
‘Your customers want your products to be green’ contains Best Practices of Sustainability Frontrunners such as Ericsson, Shell, Rabobank, DSM, Philips, Danone and Veolia Environnement completed with freshly printed business recommendations.
Create societal impact and develop new business opportunities. More information on The Green Take website here. Enjoy and be inspired!
