CPG Industry Sustainability Watch

Welcome to the third edition of Invok's Sustainability Watch series. Here, we share relevant news and insights on some pressing issues facing the CPG industry. We hope these articles will help spark conversations among your team and inspire you to consider how we as an industry can be part of the long-term solutions to our planet's environmental problems. 

CPG leaders outline how to meet the 2030 UN Sustainability Goals

A lot has changed since the United Nations published its Sustainable Development Goals in 2015. Now halfway through the 15-year plan, a new report has been released by The Consumer Goods Forum and EY, in collaboration with some of the world's leading CPG brands, on how the targets for 2030 can be met. In the report, there are five priorities highlighted as key areas in which CPG brands should focus their attention:

1.     Support all the goals but focus on delivering material impact

2.     Measure for progress and impact

3.     Embed sustainability into your company DNA

4.     Partner for success

5.     Bring the customer on the journey

The report notes that much of the past seven and a half years have been spent experimenting, piloting, and measuring activities, while the next seven and a half will need to be focused on implementing and accelerating initiatives that make a tangible impact. Making bold pledges is no longer enough – it is time to move from ambition to execution.

  Learn more here: The Consumer Goods Forum

Eliminating food waste by removing “best before” dates gets mixed reaction

Beginning this month, British retailer Waitrose will be removing “best before” dates on nearly 500 products in their stores, including certain vegetables and fruits. With UK households throwing away 4.5 million tonnes of edible food each year, the goal of the initiative is to encourage consumers to use their own judgement when checking food quality and ultimately reduce the amount of household food waste.

Though the announcement has been applauded by sustainability advocates, it will be interesting see whether consumers are as receptive. In Canada, for example, a recent report found that the majority of shoppers are against eliminating “best before” dates on food packaging. With 25% of the population relying on “best before” dates as an indicator of food safety, brands need to consider alternative ways through packaging design and communications to express freshness, safety, and quality. After all, the silver lining in the report is that 27% of Canadians would support eliminating date labels – let’s see if that number grows over the coming years.

Learn more here: Velocity Institute and CBC

Caught in the act – greenwashing edition

In our previous Sustainability Watch, we discussed greenwashing and the need for greater corporate transparency. Brands both big and small need to move away from vague environmental claims or risk public (and regulator) backlash. Right on cue, cleaning product brand Persil, owned by Unilever, just had a TV ad banned in the U.K. for making “unclear” claims relating to the environment. The ad ends by stating that Persil is “kinder to our planet.” The U.K. Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) claimed the statement was “misleading and could not be substantiated.”

Unilever argues that the ad demonstrates how Persil’s products have become better for the environment. Still, the ambiguous claim in the ad leaves more questions than answers. As the old saying goes, “numbers don’t lie.” Consumers are more likely to be receptive when you validate sustainability claims through data and facts. Given the tools and technology available today, CPGs can (and should) leverage all the data they have to optimize their sustainability strategies and claims. Tech companies like Crisp (hyperlink: https://www.gocrisp.com) are making it easier than ever to be data-driven and to move away from “greenwashing.” Like consumer demand for authenticity, the word “greenwashing” isn’t going away anytime soon. In fact, Merriam-Webster just added it to their dictionary.

Learn more here: AdWeek, Retail Dive and Merriam-Webster