– GREEN DIGITAL –
Eco-friendly has been this trendy word you hear popping everywhere. Since the Rana Plaza Factory collapsed in 2013 in Bangladesh, the textile industry went massively for “eco-friendly” branding and policies on responsible business practices.
But what does an “eco-friendly” brand really mean, and how can you grow one?
1. Eco-friendly: really?
In textile we trust… or not. Behind the term “eco-friendly”, textile brands really have different visions:
– minimal vision: designing products based on organic fabrics (unclear most of the time what the percentage is).
– middle vision: designing 100% organic and durable products, in a sustainable factory with good conditions.
– high vision: designing 100% organic and durable products, in a sustainable factory, with community engagements from the brand.
If textile had to react to the sad event in Bangladesh, other industries are still working on eco-friendliness. For tourism, for instance, being eco-friendly can basically mean everything.
Unfortunately, at this stage, eco-friendly certification labels and norms are rare, and eco-friendliness still remains a marketing thing.
2. A real market potential for eco-friendliness
Brands are taking time to grow their eco-friendliness. But the good news is that there really are huge market opportunities; once again, going eco-friendly doesn’t mean cutting on returns, quite the contrary.
According to the latest “Eco Pulse” study led by The Shelton Group, 90% of millennials will buy from a brand whose social and environmental practices they trust. And the latest expectation is the millenials spendings growing up to nearly 30% of the market ($1.4 trillion just in the US). We let you do the maths: going eco-friendly surely opens the doors to a promising market.
3. How to become an eco-friendly brand?
What’s the plan if you would like your brand to become eco-friendly?
There’s no miracle recipe, just a series of “good-sense” tips we can advise:
– green what’s in your products/services. Eco-friendly begins with design and materials.
– green the entire product chain. Eco-friendly does not rely only on you, but providers, distributors, recycling,…
– use peers to evaluate. You might think you’re green at a stage, ensure experts align with your view.
– be honest. Don’t say you’re 100% eco-friendly if it’s 95%.
– communicate with customers. Share your eco-friendly actions, listen to feedbacks, make things better.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Passionate about the environment, digital and tech.
18 years of experience in digital strategy and digital marketing.
