If you are reading this, hopefully you are buying our plant based products and already a what we like to call a " responsible corporate citizen", so firstly we think you should remind yourself you are doing something wonderful.
But it's not all about the feel good factor, it's good for business, but we are constantly surprised how many of our customers don't tell the world the difference they make, it's a great way of creating customers who become Brand Ambassadors, it's a very British thing to do the right thing and keep it to yourself, we want you to tell the world you are doing something amazing.
So how is being green good for business
Hoping you are already choosing a supplier based on their green credentials, but so are your customers.
The consumer is far more engaged than you may realise, so telling your customers you are doing the right thing is great for the environment, your customers, your brand and your bottom line.
So with this in mind we have included some key facts that highlight what your customers are looking for using the exceptional well researched Deloittes "Sustainable consumer what consumers care about" to highlight the key trends.
Key points
When asked by Deloitte what is sustainable , the most common response is " biodegradable or made from recycled material".
This is a different from what this term means in reality ( the exception being France and Australia who have well thought out definitions)
( being continued with minimal long term effects on the environment", this confusingly matches our own research that shows eco-terms are widely misunderstood.
Consumers top five most important environmentally sustainable or ethical practices.
1. Producing sustainable packaging and products
This is an easy win and we only do sustainable packaging and products, so it's a quick win.
2. Reducing waste in manafacturing processes
Most of our products come from waste generated by the farming industry and we compost or repurpose all of our industrial waste , so another easy win.
3. Commited to ethical working practices.
We only work with companies with a socially responsible and environmentally positive ethos, so all of our supply chain offer ethically and socially aligned business practices, not just to their employees but their supply chain, basically if they aren't nice people to work for, we just aren't interested in working with them, we only work with nice people.
4. Respect for human rights
We don't insist that all of our supply chain partners are SEDEX™ members ( although most of them are) but we do insist they abide by the standards set out by SEDEX™ and we do favour certified suppliers, but we balance this with trying to source as many of our products from the UK.
5. Protecting and supporting biodiversity
All of our products are compostable, all of our products are biodegradable in the decent ethical way and not the green-washing way, and sustainable, so end of life isn't a factor in their design , it's the whole ethos of their design, so all of our products support biodiversity, one caveat, we do not design our products for decompositon in aquatic environments as our products should never be disposed of in water, they are after-all designed for decomposition on land.
Key facts from Deloittes research
- 1 in 10 consumers will make a purchase based on carbon footprint data.
We send this automatically with orders over £300 but if you would like help with how to work this out, get in touch as we can give you all the tools to work this out for all of your purchases, (think of this as if you don't tell your customers , you could be losing 10% of potential sales).
- Most consumers value sustainable and ethical values when considering a purchase.
So if a customer has to chose two companies to buy from , the one with the visible ethical and environmental information is going to win their business.
- 26% of consumers are willing to pay more for a sustainable product.
Businesses tend to make decisions based on what is most cost effective but this can be a false saving as a quarter of consumers are happy to pay more for a sustainable product, so all of our products tick this box quite nicely.
Some of the key questions asked by Deloitte
(apologies for how hard this is to read but we needed to make it so someone on a mobile phone could see it, links to the actual data below).
Which, if any, of the following do you think makes a product or service ‘sustainable’? And how important, if at all, are each of the following when you are considering purchasing a product or service?
Key Point
So a key point is 64% of consumers want a plant based and renewable product and 54% of consumers want responsibly sourced products.
We probably don't need to tell you that we tick both boxes.
Which, if any, of the following environmentally sustainable or ethical practices do you value for each of the following types of goods or services?
Key Point
So a key point is 69% of consumers want a sustainable product and 62% want ethical business practices, so this is another own goal as all of our products fit into both.
Would you be prepared to pay more for goods and services to ensure the brands that create them commit to any of the following environmentally sustainable or ethical practices?
Key Point
So although 37% wouldn't pay extra for a ethical and sustainable product or service, 63% would, this is also another easy win as we try and keep our prices as low as possible, so the price difference for an environmentally positive product is about 12% (which sadly is taken up by UK Plastic Tax) which is down from the 52% when we started.
Summary
So doing the right thing is good for business but if your not telling your customers you are doing the right thing you could essentially be losing 69% of your customer base.
There are also a few quick wins below , that don't cost anything but will make a huge difference to the environment and your customers.
1. If you have a website, consider using companies that plant trees to offset server carbon footprint.
2. Consider using one of the delivery companies like Royal Mail that has lower Co2 figures.
3. Spend over £300 and we will send you a free Feed a Field carbon certificate or you can get in touch and we will tell you how to calculate this yourself.
4. Source your products from the UK, this alones saves 12% of the products carbon footprint from it's shipping.
5. Use an energy company that has a high proportion of renewables.
6. Find ways to reuse your business waste, we now re-use 100% of all of our waste.
7. Buy from companies with a clear environmental message, who are open and transparent about what they do and how they do it.
We have to add we greatly comment Deloittes for making this research open and not behind a pay-wall so we can all learn from their hard work, well done @deloitte
See these stats in all their glory