While very little about the future of our climate looks certain, it is evident that the coming decade will be critical, making sustainability initiatives that much more important. Demonstrating impact and communicating those results downstream will be crucial and also may need new approaches.
There remains a concerning lack of consumer recognition of sustainable initiatives in the supplement space, according to Cumberford. “I think that a lot of customers don’t recognize that their choices may be influencing less sustainable outcomes simply because they aren’t applying to supplements the same considerations they might make in foods.” New label regulations may help bridge this gap. “In Europe, environmental labeling will be mandatory in 2022,” noted Imperato. “So if a company does nothing, they will have a non-attractive label, being noted with a low environmental score. No doubt, consumers will make their choice.” Mattern agrees that the power of marketing and brands can be used to nudge customers toward more sustainable products and services. In a recent blog post about marketing in the 21st Century, he suggested cause marketing will evolve toward more purposeful campaigns centered on sustainability, and that these campaigns work when a “product’s benefit and the brand idea are credible and authentic.” That doesn’t mean, he added, that companies can become “green” overnight. “There is no shortcut,” he wrote. “Being sustainable means rolling up the sleeves and doing the work.”
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