Importance of brand sustainability and ethics leads consumers to choose small, local brands over multinational conglomerates.
This year’s Wherefrom report published by BCorp, lists the top-ranking Certified B Corp brands for sustainability and ethicality, with the objective of demonstrating how a brand’s sustainability reputation has a tangible impact on consumer perception.
Ossa Organic, is one of the first BCorp brands in the UK and the first organic bone broth to market. As a leading brand in the gut health and sustainability space it was no surprise that Ossa received a high score of 9.8/10. However, what may be a shock to some was that a small and local organic brand could out rank much larger and, in some cases, multinational companies with bottomless budgets for marketing and strict KPI’s on ethics and the environment. In fact Ossa ranked an impressive 36 out of the top 100, selected over thousands of other brands and above the likes of Ella’s Kitchen, Hello Fresh and globally renowned coffee brand, Illy.
“Ossa was B Corp Certified within the first year of trading, and commitment to supporting the health and wellbeing of both people and planet has always been at the heart of our Business.” Says Ossa CEO, Catherine Farrant.
“It has been such a powerful experience to be a part of this growing community of brands who value purpose over profit and want to use their influence, whether it be in food, drink, cosmetics or construction, as a force for good. Even more so it has been so encouraging to see first-hand the growing consumer demand for businesses to do more for our planet and our communities.”
B corp had very humble beginnings with only a dozen or so brands when they first launched in 2015, now it is an internationally recognised mark of the highest level of commitment to environmental impact and sustainability with the likes of The Body Shop and internationally esteemed Fashion House Chloé now following the lead.
Certified B Corporations, or B Corps, are companies verified by B Lab (the certifying body) to meet high standards of social and environmental performance, transparency and accountability. The B Corp Community is a global movement of businesses who provide leadership by demonstrating their commitment to people and the planet and there are now over 5,000 B Corps in 82 countries and covering 156 industries, showing its growing influence and commercial importance.
The Wherefrom Bcorp report reveals that the perception consumers have of a brand, its values and processes can have a direct impact on consumer purchasing behaviour. Despite the ‘green-washing’ of many brands trying to ride on the trend e.g. Budweiser’s promotional campaign with wind turbines for renewable energy and Coca Cola’s Life new green label – consumers are wiser than we think and are now doing their research.
“Consumers are no longer accepting smart slogans and the use of grass fields and natural colours in campaigns as a measure of a products eco-credentials. Seeing the B Corp logo is much more tangible, a stamp of approval from one of the most strict and highest regarded sustainability and ethics bodies in the world.” Says, Catherine Farrant.
“Brands need to work harder if they want to win over their customers, be transparent and honest with people, not just hide under band-aid solutions and performative environmentalism. It’s not even just the right thing to do, it’s the only way to stay ahead in business.’
The Bcorp report went further than just outlining popularity of brands based on their eco credentials but showed that these scores have a direct impact on perceived brand value to retailers, with those showing a score of over 8/10 being 3 x more likely to be chosen as a sustainable alternative on shelves.
In the nature of full transparency, it is also important to note that the Wherefrom score was calculated from over a hundred thousand surveys taken from a particular demographic. That being classified as ‘conscious consumers’ predominantly females (71%), early millennials (aged 25-35) and whose priorities are purchasing ethical and environmental products.
However, while the sample demographic of the Wherefrom report represents one of the many segments of the market, a survey from You Gov showed that 52% of all UK adults base their purchases on eco credentials. And while budgets are at the top of most household concerns this percentage is only expected to rise with growing awareness of climate change and environmental degradation. This has been made even more concerning with the recent heatwaves and natural disasters in Europe and the scorching temperatures attributed to Global Warming.
What is clear is the overall growing consumer awareness of how our purchasing habits and lifestyles are having a direct impact on our environment and that these need to change.
