Five Myths About Consumers’ Relationships With Sustainable Brands
Last month, we had the chance to attend and speak at this year’s Sustainable Packaging Coalition Conference in Boston. SPC is a collaborative of packaging stakeholders whose mission is to catalyze actionable improvements to packaging systems and lend an authoritative voice on issues related to packaging sustainability. The 3 days were both inspiring and challenging, demonstrating amazing advances in sustainable packaging solutions but also highlighting the daunting task the industry faces against the head winds of climate change. While SPC has traditionally been an organization dominated by material suppliers and converters, its membership has extended significantly among brand owners and design agencies bringing the voice and role of the consumer into the conversation.
With this in mind, here are 5 takeaways from the conference that debunk common misconceptions we hear from brands*:
Recycling is all consumers care about when it comes to a brand’s sustainability. WRONG!
Consumers are much more attuned to the contribution of brands on climate change beyond these traditional factors. Attributes such as carbon neutral, compostable, and biodegradable among others are now more top of mind for consumers as they evaluate a brand’s sustainability. Sterling’s Sustainable Consumer Panel backs this up with consumers preferring to also see ‘compostable, biodegradable, or made from recycled material’ claims on packaging. Brands need to think beyond recycling to up their Sustainability Quotient with consumers.
All consumers respond to the same sustainable messages. WRONG!
There is a huge generation gap between Boomers/Xers and Millenials/Gen Z when it comes to the language of sustainability. For instance, broad terms like “green” are less compelling to younger generations, while specifics like ”low carbon footprint” and “net zero” have much more pull with them. As with all messaging, brands need to really understand what resonates and connects with their respective targets when it comes to environmental messaging.
Consumers always assume sustainable brands are more expensive. WRONG!
The percentage of consumers equating a premium with sustainable brands is rapidly declining. Brands should not be afraid of promoting their sustainability for fear of alienating consumers based on perceived price premiums.
Government needs to drive more change in packaging sustainability. WRONG!
The prevailing view at SPC is that we can’t wait for the regulators and in fact, consumers put the responsibility squarely in the hands of brands. Brands need to have the courage to forge ahead with sustainable solutions regardless of regulatory inertia. When the industry acts and consumers embrace change, then the legislators will be forced to follow.
The most sustainable consumers are “off the grid tree huggers” who have rejected big brands. WRONG!
This could not be further from the truth. While they do represent a smaller percentage of the population (15-20%), this group will engage with any brand with a positive and transparent sustainable track record. Understanding the sustainable attitudes, motivations, and behaviors of this 15-20% is critical for brands to help inspire and educate the remaining 80% to follow suit. Again the Sterling Consumer Panel proved this out with questions we customized for the conference that showed big National brands winning out over niche players when their sustainability message was front and center (and legit!)
Sterling Brands is a brand strategy and packaging design consultancy with over 30 years of experience in all consumer packaged goods categories. To learn more about our Sustainability practice and our proprietary Sustainable Consumer Panel, visit Sustainability or contact us at hello@sterlingbrands.com
*Takeaways from presentations and conversations shared at SPC Advance Conference https://spcadvance2023.sustainablepackaging.org/