This article was initially published in September’s issue of Global Drinks Intel magazine. For details on how to subscribe, click here.
When it comes to consumers’ views on sustainability, Charlie Mitchell has worked hard to overcome his scepticism – and thinks you should, too.
I’m approaching a significant milestone in my career as a researcher. Next year, I’ll have spent ten years trying to figure out how consumers interact with the eating- and drinking-out market and helping businesses to capitalise on those insights.
In reality, my interest in seeking patterns behind human behaviour — and working out why people do what they do — stretches back much further, to the curious kid who never stopped asking his parents questions. Their answers duly shaped my own behaviour — an early example of collecting data, forming hypotheses and testing strategies based on the results.
It’s a reminder that we all conduct research every day. We constantly seek out information to help us in our quest to categorise, compartmentalise, comprehend and act. It helps us make better decisions and improves our behaviours. However, this can quickly go wrong if the initial information collected is dubious, and decisions are made on a whim and not sense-checked with real-life experiences. I’m glad, for example, that I eventually questioned the existence of Father Christmas before leaving home and asking my flatmates to sit up with me and wait for him.
All of this is a roundabout way of saying that there’s nothing wrong with a healthy scepticism of invalidated data. Indeed, one of the most common critiques I’ve heard during the near-decade of doing this for a living has been that what consumers say they do and what they actually do are often very different things.
This is more common than ever when we ask consumers for their thoughts, attitudes and buying behaviours when it comes to sustainability. Indeed, I’d go so far as to say it’s the stock response to any data presented about green issues or environmental practices and ethics.
And, why not? The data is enough to raise an eyebrow: CGA’s most recent global research found that 72% of on-premise consumers believe it’s important that the food and drink products they purchase are produced by sustainable and ethical businesses. Almost exactly half (49%) say that if they learned that their favourite food or drinks brand wasn’t a sustainable business, then they’d purchase less frequently (34%), or not at all (15%).
Really?
Maybe not. I don’t see three-quarters of people checking out the sustainability and ethical credentials of their third Tequila shot of the evening. However, what this does tell us is that, when asked, 75% of on-premise consumers will recognise sustainability and ethics as at least having some level of impact on their decisions when eating and drinking out.
Let me put this to you [yes, you with your eyebrow raised]: Even if this isn’t matched in purchasing decisions [yet], it’s matched in attitudes. And, that’s why brands are taking it seriously.
Take Neat Burger, the Lewis Hamilton- and Leonardo DiCaprio-backed veggie burger concept on a mission to become the market leader in meat-free dining. With a tagline of ‘sustainably delicious’, environment and ethics are at the core of everything the brand does. With openings planned around the world, it’s not just celebrities that are backing Neat Burger for success. A long line of investors are queuing to support the global expansion plans.
In the drinks industry, there are also countless examples of businesses positioning sustainability front and centre for their brands, be it new serve solutions such as wine-on-tap company TAP in Australia or closed-loop distribution provider EcoSpirits across the globe, or the more common waste-reduction systems and carbon-offsetting practices that are increasingly championed by suppliers.
In a world where cues like ‘premium’ are being overshadowed by ‘quality’ and ‘ethical’, brands are looking to align themselves with the values of their consumers, rather than align with the values of advertising companies. In the years to come, these qualities may well become not just nice-to-haves but need-to-haves, and businesses that neglect them risk reputational damage.
But, here’s the kicker: The scepticism that exists among drinks executives also exists among consumers. After a spate of high-profile greenwashing cases, it’s no longer enough to merely talk about planting trees or cutting food miles.
Consumers want to see change in action rather than pledges, regardless of whether you believe their stated opinions or not.
This article was initially published in September’s issue of Global Drinks Intel magazine. For details on how to subscribe, click here.
