Idea

Big Changes Through Small Acts

Private: Michelle Ahern

As shoppers demand sustainability, retailers big and small take note

If we’ve learned anything at all from 2020, it is that big change is long overdue. We need monumental change to address some of the biggest challenges we face and will continue to face. 

This is most starkly true where climate change is concerned. A full-blown crisis, it rears its head in the form of devastating wildfires and unprecedented weather events that decimate habitats and communities throughout the world. All due to the anthropogenic warming of our planet. 

These terrible events, combined with a global pandemic, have helped people realign their focus on the things that truly matter—the health of our communities and the health of the planet we all share.

The COVID bump

According to a recent BCG survey, the COVID-19 pandemic has shifted global consumer attitudes toward environmental issues, with 90% of consumers saying they are equally or more concerned about these issues now. 

Further, 87% of survey respondents think that private companies should do more to integrate environmental considerations into their products and the way they operate. 

When consumer attitudes (and shopping behaviors) change, companies big and small take notice (or else slip into irrelevance). Seeing what is important to their consumers, they change and adapt. 

So, when a retailer learns that nearly 6 in ten consumers are willing to change their shopping habits to reduce their environmental impact, it becomes clear that doing their part to protect the planet is no longer a luxury that they can afford to skip. 

When it comes to connecting with purpose-driven customers and earning their loyalty, retailers adapt or lose out on good business. 

Sustainability in logistics

Sendle is Australia’s only 100% carbon neutral shipping service. Founded in 2014, Sendle’s focus has always been on the success of small businesses. “Being a carbon neutral shipper means for every parcel we take from here to there, we offset the emissions through investments in powerful environmental projects. So, the small businesses that use us take part in our sustainable projects and offer their customers the opportunity to be more environmentally sustainable with every purchase they make.”- James Chin Moody, co-founder and CEO of Sendle

Small businesses doing their part

While big businesses have often led the way on sustainability initiatives, there’s an incredible groundswell of eco-minded small businesses that have put the planet before profits, attracting customers of the same mind.

Take Bobbleware, for instance. This one-woman bubble tea centered brand makes eco-friendly reusable tumblers to replace the mountains of disposable cups out there. 

Or Vege Threads, a small sustainable clothing brand that makes sure every part of its manufacturing and sourcing process is as low impact as possible. 

Sustainability even turns up in your underwear drawer. Debriefs uses the super sustainable MicroModal fabric to populate their line of super silky men’s briefs.

All of these businesses round out their sustainability efforts by shipping their products with Sendle, resulting in net zero carbon emissions from fulfillment and a final sustainable touchpoint with their eco-minded customers.

Making big changes through small acts

Businesses of every size are making meaningful changes for the sake of the planet—not only because they want to, but because their customers demand it. 

For consumers, it’s an incredibly empowering notion that they have a role in enacting big change, from one small purchasing decision to the next. 

 

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