Why it matters

As consumers show more interest in the environment and adopt more environmentally friendly behaviors, brands may benefit from a deeper understanding of their consumers’ expectations regarding their sustainability initiatives and attitudes around sustainability topics.

Takeaways

• Brands may benefit from first improving overall sustainability communications and credibility.
• Sustainability efforts should live up to communications to avoid consumers thinking brands are “greenwashing”; consumers want to see how brands live the values they preach.
• Communicating with consumers about sustainability topics requires a tailored media plan, with the brand’s messages being optimized for each distinct platform, eg, long-form discourses on YouTube, shorter content on Instagram and Facebook.
• Sustainability is not a single-demographic issue, so communications should include all genders and age groups, especially older age groups who engage with sustainability with the same urgency as younger people.
• Brands should also be mindful that men are more skeptical, rather than supportive, concerning environmental issues.

Key quote

“Conversations about consumer and company action are closely related. Consumers demand companies take action on emissions. At the same time, companies expect consumers to engage with their initiatives for them to be successful” – Jon Arthurs and Gilbert Saktoe, MetrixLab.