The Need To Reduce Your Brand’s Carbon Footprint
How much does your morning glass of orange juice contribute to global warming? This was the question PepsiCo put to experts hired to do the math.
After measuring the emissions from growing oranges to running a factory to transporting heavy juice cartons, the company finally came up with a number: the equivalent of 3.75 pounds of carbon dioxide are emitted to the atmosphere for each half-gallon carton of orange juice.
From packaging to advertising, there are many aspects of marketing campaigns that can influence a brand’s carbon footprint. As sustainability rises up the consumer agenda, waste is the watchword by which products are being judged. Any brand seen to be using unnecessary levels of packaging or direct mail may find itself being rejected by an increasingly conscious consumer.
Consumers are expecting brands to take the lead in minimising product carbon footprints, with the support of a regulatory framework. Research clearly illustrates that consumers now regard carbon as an important element of their purchasing criteria. They often consider it their responsibility to make a conscious change and actively seek out products which use recycled material.
Some brands like Pepsico have joined the movement by analysing their carbon footprint, sharing it with consumers and allocating resources to reduce it further. However most brands, especially in the competitive fast moving consumer goods arena, where brands live and die on store shelves, there is a tension between sales and sustainability.
The encouraging thing is that marketers are waking up to the latent demand for green brands from consumers. A significant number of green shoppers are willing to pay more for green products – they recognise climate change is a problem and they want to do the right thing. And they want more help from companies to do the right thing.
With inputs from :
www.decarbonisingthebrand.com
http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1971379,00.html
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