Michelle Brady, Origin Green, Bord Bia – Irish Food Board
For quite some time brands have been broadcasting their news and communications about CSR and Sustainability in their corporate structures. However, there are now more and more brands using sustainability as a key part of their marketing to consumers. Brands are now looking to utilise sustainability to connect with consumers. This is due to an increased demand for it. According to Bord Bia’s recent PERIscope study, Irish people are ‘Going Green’
- Irish people are embracing all things green and becoming more environmentally conscious, having increased to 61% from 56% in 2007.
- One in two of us is concerned with the amount of food we throw away.
- Half of Irish consumers claim to always buy brands that use environmentally sensitive packaging.
A recent of example of this is Coca-Cola’s new communications ad which uses 1,500 pieces of recycled plastic, Coca-Cola has turned to animation to launch a consumer awareness campaign to highlight the recyclability of its products. Another interesting example is Ben & Jerry’s Join The Climate Movement where the company cleverly used melting ice cream to show the effects of climate change and to communicate this to consumers in a way that was relative to its brand and emotive to the public. Many drinks companies in the US are also following suit and using sustainability to connect with their consumers; according to just-drinks.com
In contrast to this, however, according to the Huffington Post, around 90% of the world’s population is unaware of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In 2015, the United Nation’s introduced the Global Sustainable Development Goals; a set of 17 ambitious goals that cover a wide range of issues including responsible consumption and production, climate action, sustainable communities, as well as targeting poverty and hunger, and health and well-being. These goals agreed to by 193 world leaders, including Ireland, set out a roadmap for governments and industry to move towards a fairer and more sustainable future. The UN Sustainable Development Goals and their associated targets will be used to provide guidance in the on-going development of Ireland’s Origin Green programme. For this reason, in particular, it is imperative for companies to demonstrate the work they’re doing to be kind to the planet.
Forbes.com outlines four elements to aid in developing these campaigns and relating sustainability to the consumer:
- Data visualization – People empathise with what they can imagine
- Animation – Making it memorable
- Engaging and interactive digital experiences – to be relevant
- Building communities – to have a platform and dialogue going forward
Keeping these 4 aspects in mind when considering a campaign including sustainability will enable brands and companies to engage and connect with their consumers on a new level with regard to our world’s future.
Consumer awareness and demand for sustainable and responsible companies are vastly increasing and Bord Bia is enabling companies to do so through its Origin Green programme. Origin Green is giving its members, Ireland’s farmers, food & drink producers and retail & foodservice operators the platform to showcase their sustainability commitments. The programme’s members have sustainability plans which are independently verified and annually audited.
Learn more at www.origingreen.ie.
