New report shares insight on sustainability

The Hartman Group recently published Sustainability 2019: Beyond Business as Usual, the latest report in their now more than 20 year ‘Sustainability Series’ work. The 2019 report provides insight on “dramatic shifts in consumer sentiment,” including evolving cultural values and consumer demand. According to the report, consumers want to see companies take into account customers, the planet, future generations, and the communities they impact, including rank-and-file workers. 

A summary of the major findings include:  

• Sustainability is a cultural value and defining concern for today’s consumer 
• Heightened challenges and institutional inaction fuel hunger for progress 
• Consumers increasingly hold companies and government more responsible for sustainability than individuals 
• At the same time, consumers are scrutinizing their own consumption in new ways, looking for opportunities to reduce waste and their personal carbon footprint with critical implications for Consumer Package Goods (CPG) business 
• Growth in sustainable purchasing is fueled by improving perceptions 
• Consumers value convenience but are increasingly aware of the sustainability trade-offs 
• Packaging design, disposable plastic and paper products, e-commerce’s footprint, and restaurant impacts are just a few of the territories where consumers feel their lifestyle comes into conflict with what is good for the world 
• In a more collaborative future, consumers expect corporations to invite scrutiny and partnership as they move beyond “business as usual” 

The report provides insight into consumer mindsets across multiple generational, ethnographic, geographic, and sustainability profiles, and reinforces the concept of collaboration across the food chain that you support through Edge’s partnership with U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance.

The full report can be found online here.