Culinology - June 2021 - 22

C
onsumer demand is driving food and
beverage manufacturer interest in labels
promoting a product's environmentally
sustainable attributes and for packaging
options that enhance such attributes.
Research by the consultancy Accenture
indicates the pandemic has intensified
interest in " conscious consumption, " which
is defined as those consumers who consider
the environmental and societal impacts of
their shopping choices. Meeting the needs of
this group will challenge manufacturers and
retailers to fundamentally rethink how they will
cater to the pandemic-adapted consumer.
" The pandemic is making consumers think
more about the impact their purchasing
decisions are having on the environment
and society at large, " said Oliver Wright,
senior managing director and global lead
of Accenture's consumer goods industry
group. " Consumers' focus on areas like the
provenance of ingredients and raw materials,
working practices, the environmental impact
of finished products and packaging, calls for
companies to ensure the agility and capability
to be relevant to consumers and customers
- with a portfolio of products and services
that match shifting purchasing patterns
- and to better collaborate with industry
peers, just as they proved they could during
the pandemic. "
A consumer survey undertaken by
Accenture highlights the opportunities and
challenges companies face as they wade
further into meeting the needs of conscious
consumers. For example:
* Half do not have a good understanding of
which brands are sustainable/ethical, and
which are not.
* To help more easily understand how
sustainable a product is, seven in 10
consumers would support a mandatory but
simple labelling standard for products such
as a traffic light indicator.
* Two-thirds of consumers believe the
government should introduce legislation
to promote " conscious consumption " , e.g.
charging for plastic bags.
* Sixty-nine percent of consumers believe
consumer brands should do more to make
it easier to consume more consciously.
* A third of consumers admit they do not
have a good understanding on what items
they can and can't recycle.
" People's values are increasingly becoming
infused in their shopping habits as consumers
think more about balancing what they buy,
and how they spend their time, with global
issues of sustainability, " said Jill Standish,
senior managing director and head of
Accenture's global retail industry group. " This
calls for retailers to be authentic and to pay
attention to what each community they serve
really cares about. It is no longer enough for
brands to just talk about responsibility, they
need to adopt environmental, social and
governance practices, harnessing technology
to drive outcomes across their entire
operations, from building more sustainable
supply chains to equipping the workforce for
a new environment. "
Supporting Accenture's results were survey
findings from the London-based market
researcher GlobalData that said sustainability
and reducing environmental impact are
becoming ever more critical to consumers'
perceptions of brands. In research released
in December 2020, GlobalData said 41% of
European consumers consider a reduced
environmental footprint to be more important
now than before the pandemic. In addition,
42% of European consumers said the
COVID-19 pandemic has made ethical
or sustainable production methods more
important to them.
" Brands shouldn't dismiss the issue of CO2
emissions, " said Ryan Whittaker, consumer
analyst at GlobalData. " While Gen Xers and
millennials worldwide reported the most
interest in products that lower environmental
footprints in the wake of the pandemic, it has
grown as a priority for all age groups. "
To illustrate his point, Mr. Whittaker used
NoCoe, a snack product manufactured
and marketed in France by Mondelez
International's SnackFutures unit, as an
example. The cracker brand is clean label
and carbon neutral. Manufactured with more
than 80% local ingredients and production, it
has a shorter, more sustainable supply chain,
according to the company.
" SnackFutures has designed this
product to translate climate change into
something with a real physical presence,
something that empowers consumers to
be able to proactively contribute toward
environmental protection: by choosing
products with sustainable, shorter supply
JUNE 2021 | Culinology | 21
by Keith Nunes
knunes@sosland.com
Culinology - June 2021

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