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\nConsumers don\u2019t really differentiate between \u2018sustainability\u2019 and \u2018corporate responsibility\u2019. They just want to buy from good companies \u2013 companies that are doing right by people and the planet. The brands we buy are extensions of our personal brands \u2013 they\u2019re manifestations of how we want to be seen in the world \u2013 and increasingly we want to be personally seen as people who are doing the right thing. That, of course, also means we increasingly don\u2019t want to buy from brands that can\u2019t help us make that personal statement.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
When Suzanne Shelton, CEO of Shelton Group<\/strong><\/a> says this, you\u2019d be hard pressed to find an executive who wouldn\u2019t take note. Her 28 years as a consultant in sustainability provides weight to these words, and her spot-on analysis of the American consumer forces you to pause. Do major corporations really understand this insight into today\u2019s demanding consumer? And are they going to be fast enough in pivoting to exceed these <\/span>demands, staying both relevant, and profitable?<\/span><\/p>\n
We spoke with Shelton in our ramp up to SB\u201919 Detroit where she will speak both in a panel setting and as an individual expert to the over 3,000 attendees this June. An advocate for sustainability and how corporations communicate that to their consumers, Shelton spends much of her year either deep in insights, the marketing and storytelling implications of those insights or traveling to share all of it. A longtime speaker at Sustainable Brands events, Shelton still finds our unparalleled conference exciting,<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image=”4574″ img_size=”large” alignment=”center”][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”2\/3″][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n
\nThis [environmental and social responsibility] isn\u2019t a fringe thing. Sustainability is absolutely a business strategy thing and a brand pillar thing. Sustainability is a real driver for business.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
While most brands know by now that sustainable initiatives and social\/environmental responsibility are table stakes, fluctuating vernacular and competing objectives make communication daunting. Shelton sees the next wave of brand speak \u2014 brand transformation \u2014 really addressing plastic waste. While this topic is at a<\/span><\/p>\n
fever pitch right now, her firm has been conducting market research over the last year to assess what exactly middle America knows about it, and how they feel about what they know.<\/span><\/p>\n
Shelton Group<\/strong> conducts quantitative research into questions like, \u201cIs middle America aware of plastic waste the way people in the industry are and what do they expect brands to be doing about it?\u201d and brings those real-world answers to their clients (as well as those savvy enough to pull up a seat at conferences). It turns out that yes, people are \u201cwoke\u201d to this, and more than you would expect. But Shelton is quick to point out the foreboding issue attached to their awareness. <\/span>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/3″][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n
\nAs more and more Americans decide they don\u2019t want to contribute to the single-use plastics problem and try to shop differently, they\u2019ll immediately experience a feeling of being \u2018stuck\u2019 that we think will result in backlash towards brands. People will demand other options, and the brands that get in front of this will win in the end.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/3″][vc_single_image image=”4478″ onclick=”custom_link” img_link_target=”_blank” link=”https:\/\/sheltongrp.com\/insights\/sustainability-consumer-loyalty\/”][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row equal_height=”yes” content_placement=”middle” color_scheme=”white” css=”.vc_custom_1556735782646{background-color: #397890 !important;}”][vc_column width=”2\/12″][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”3\/12″][vc_custom_heading text=”Get News & Updates About SB’19 Detroit” use_theme_fonts=”yes”][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”5\/12″][vc_raw_html]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[\/vc_raw_html][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”2\/12″][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”2\/3″][vc_column_text]The consumer starts to lose interest when the brands and suppliers justify and defend their packaging. Social and mainstream media have given consumers the information; they know wildlife is in peril and that we are creating mountains of trash. They don\u2019t want to hear it anymore Shelton says; they just want brands to figure out how to do it better and keep single-use plastics out of the ocean. She notes, too, that our sustainability community needs to be mindful of our language on this issue.<\/span><\/p>\n
\nI hear a lot of \u2018plastic is bad\u2019 and that\u2019s just not true. Nobody wants to get rid of plastics in an operating room or a construction site \u2013 they save lives and make homes more energy efficient! We need to keep the conversation focused on single-use\u2026and that\u2019s not just plastics; it\u2019s all materials and the disposal mentality that we\u2019ve basically trapped folks in.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
Shelton sees a way to change this, and has great enthusiasm that brands will be able to alter their business models \u2014 in time. It\u2019s a multistep journey toward this transformation, and one part is consumer education. She notes that there is no perfect material. Every packaging form has its pros and cons, and their best use is truly case by case. Getting the public to understand that will be challenging given all the discord over materials and circular recycling streams. But while that is still an area of debate, Shelton sees a second part of the transformation successful through aiming at consumer convenience.<\/span><\/p>\n
Shelton cites Tom Szaky\u2019s approach with <\/span>Loop<\/span><\/a> as a very plausible one. She loves his references to \u201cbringing back the milkman,\u201d and his call to connecting people to a familiar system we just haven\u2019t used in a while. Familiarity reduces barriers to trial, and that\u2019s what makes the \u201cget a box on your doorstep\u201d approach so workable as well \u2013 it\u2019s a model so many know so well. <\/span>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”2\/3″][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n
\nWhat we have in our favor is 41% of people want to be seen as someone who buys green products; again, this is not fringe were talking about, this is mainstream America. People <\/span>do<\/span><\/i> put their money where their mouth is on this topic, but it\u2019s selective. Think of the in-me \/ on-me products; moms will pay more for those touching their kids. They will tell us in our qualitative research that it\u2019s insanely expensive, but they feel the need to protect their children. With millennials, it\u2019s often about how they are feeling at the moment. If they have the money right there to afford the greener options, they buy them, but cost sometimes trumps purpose with this group.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
Price over purpose is a hard truth and one many brands know first-hand. With the onus squarely on corporate America to provide better, greener options, many have come out with sustainable or \u2018better\u2019 versions of their most purchased products. The material and ingredient changes going into this \u2018better\u2019 version come at a cost that the brands have passed along to the consumer, and seen time after time the traditional product<\/span><\/p>\n
purchased over the greener version. But Shelton posits the questions her research has uncovered: If these brands can make a \u2018green\u2019 version, why are they still making the non-green one? She continues channeling the American consumer: \u201cWhy does the consumer need to do the research, and why are they being tasked with making the decisions?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n
When these questions are followed by astounding numbers from her research, like 86% of Americans expect a company to stand for something, and 67% want that something to be linked to what that company provides (i.e. plumbing companies should have water conservation initiatives and candy brands should focus on obesity issues or fair farming practices), Shelton makes a very strong case for brands expediting their sustainable roadmaps.<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/4″][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/4″][vc_single_image image=”4470″][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/4″][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n
\n\nShelton Insight<\/h1>\n
64% of Americans who say it\u2019s\u00a0\u201cextremely important\u201d for a company to take a stand on a\u00a0social issue say they are \u201cvery likely\u201d to purchase a\u00a0product based on that commitment\u00a0(Brands & Stands 2018).<\/a><\/strong><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/4″][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”2\/3″][vc_column_text]With an impressive portfolio of reports, an infectious enthusiasm, and a knack for making these issues digestible, it\u2019s clear Shelton is passionate and proactive. With clients at every point of the sustainable journey, she and her team continue to dive into consumer minds; relaying the needs and expectations uncovered, back to brands. She recognizes that those in the industry \u2014 that of sustainability, social and environmental responsibility \u2014 are a very small percentage of the population, and sometimes they are only speaking to the choir. While this is a small obstacle in bringing brands up to speed profitably, and with purpose, there is perpetual growth in all industry sectors as more and more brands begin the pivot to sustainable practices. To expedite that pivot and bring lasting value, Shelton advocates communities (our SB one among them), often bringing clients to events.<\/span><\/p>\n
\nFor me it\u2019s the side conversations [at SB and other events] where I\u2019m learning a lot and hopefully creating value. Yes, I attend the talks and look forward to the specific solutions, the results and the measurements you can take with you. But it\u2019s also just connecting with these people and asking, \u201cWhat if?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
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For more on the research done by Shelton Consulting, please visit their corporate website<\/a> to further your brands transformation to sustainable practices.<\/em><\/strong><\/h4>\n
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About Suzanne<\/h3>\n
Suzanne Shelton is president and CEO of Shelton Group, the nation\u2019s leading marketing communications agency focused exclusively on energy and the environment. Her vision is that every home and building in America is energy responsible and sustainability is ordinary \u2013 and she leads Shelton Group in creating a market advantage for the organizations that are creating that sustainable, responsible future. Shelton\u2019s clients include Consumer\u2019s Energy, Environmental Defense Fund, Kohler, CertainTeed Insulation and ExxonMobil Chemical.<\/p>\n
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