Nowadays, sustainability is a subject undergoing intense study in everyday life. News, trends, and data about the way our planet is changing due to the reckless actions of humans are part of the normal daily life. People from all over the world have been able to notice how our world is suffering extreme changes as a result of human activities. Among all the people in the world, the well-known and controversial generation of the Millennial individuals score themselves as eco-friendlier than the previous generations. They perceive themselves as the generation who is willing to take great initiatives and make significant changes in protecting our world.
Therefore, several studies have concluded that Millennials consider that it is time for brands to go green or go home. By analyzing the changes which have been made regarding customers behavior, researchers suggest that Millennials are more likely and willing to pay more money for eco-friendly offerings. As Millennials represent the biggest customer generation, sustainability trends are increasing in the business world. Corporate sustainability represents the management and coordination of environmental, social, and financial demands in an eco-friendly way. This concept is usually addressing two main aspects including the effect businesses have on the environment and on society.
Eco-friendly mindset
Born at the dawn of the internet and came of the age of smartphones, Millennials are the generation who has a powerful eco-friendly mindset. They are constantly informed on how our planet is being destroyed daily as they are aware of what is going on in the world. Hence, they feel more empowered than anyone else before to take certain steps to stop this. Purchasing sustainable products is only one of the major changes they wish to make. Some of them even go as far as to refuse to work for an employer whose business is harming the environment. As a result, eco-conscious brands want to connect with millennials with biodegradable materials, recycled packaging, and organic products.
Why sustainability is gaining momentum with millennial consumers?
Although Millennials are living in one of the most difficult economic climates in the last century, they are the ones most willing to pay extra money for products and services offered by green businesses. To understand the environmental attitudes across this generation, Millennials have been part of several studies. Those studies aimed to determine how they perceive their attitudes and behaviors regarding sustainability. The results were suggesting that a majority of Millennials believe that they are more concerned about protecting the environment than the previous generations. Perhaps, one of the main causes which makes them so focused on nature-friendly initiatives is due to the climate and environment they were born in. Previous generations were also experiencing pollution and global warming, but certainly not at the same levels as the Millennial generation. Nowadays, the large busy metropolises are expanding by taking over nature with concrete to build suburbs. Everyday commuters lead to busy traffic and heavy pollution. And businesses are reckless about the footprint they bring to our planet. Therefore, there is no surprise in the decision of millennials to be more focused on choosing goods produced by sustainable companies.
Buying sustainably makes consumers feel good
There are two main reasons why consumers want to buy ecological products from sustainable companies. The most obvious one is linked with the rising trend of protecting our planet better. Secondly, consumers no longer wish to accept to allow companies to gain huge profits while their carbon footprints produce irreversible changes that affect the quality of our lives. Therefore, informed customers want more of the latest trends, environmental issues, and social equality to be respected. As every Millennial has a smartphone and access to the internet, they are constantly informed about every information that goes viral online. There is no surprise that businesses who have announced the public to have switched to green business practices have achieved a huge success. One of the most recent examples is related to the personal care brand Dove. The company has announced that they have decided that by the end of 2019, many of their bottles will be in the process of transitioning to 100 percent recycled plastic. Also, the recycling industry has gained a lot of fame among eco-friendly entrepreneurs. To reduce the waste produced by their companies, they take green initiatives to recycle as much as possible. To minimize their waste, they use machines that help businesses recycling polystyrene and waste compactors and balers.
Why sustainable branding matters?
With climate change firmly rooted in the mainstream agenda, more and more businesses have started to understand how customers behavior has changed according to sustainable trends. Consumers wish to be part of a good initiative. They do not feel encouraged to purchase products that produce a lot of harm to our planet. Therefore, sustainable branding has been embraced by many companies from all around the world. They are addressing social issues in their green programs as they realize the connection between those two. Empathy is one of the most used neuroscience tips by marketers. By addressing touching social and climate issues, they rise powerful emotions and experiences in their targeted audience. Consumers believe that their purchasing decisions are made on rational choices. However, in fact, they decide what and from who to buy based on their emotions. Entrepreneurs who are part of the business world today use hot-button issues as marketing tools. The most common eco-friendly initiatives businesses embrace include developing sustainable products, taking part in green worldwide initiatives, and publishing reports related to sustainability. Whether is through social media platforms or news websites, companies which go green connect with their targeted audience and do sustainable branding.
Environmentally sustainable actions are excellent marketing opportunities used by companies to attract Millennial consumers. Millennials want companies to be actively invested in better protection of our planet. Also, they wish to be involved by the eco-conscious companies in doing good by purchasing their products. Choosing to pay only for green offerings, gives them the opportunity to be empowered to do good.
