With consumers demanding more sustainable and equitable products and being increasingly aware of corporate greenwashing, footwear brands must be authentic in marketing sustainable goods, or else their communication strategy may backfire, WGSN warned during a couple of webinars organized by the Italian trade fair Expo Riva Schuh.
Greenwashing can be defined as the attitude of either misleading consumers about the green credential of a product or service, or misleading consumers about the environmental performance of the company as a whole, according to a definition by Aoife Brophy Haney, a research lecturer at the University of Oxford.
“Being more sustainable starts with the goals and model of a business,” stressed Ailis Swords-McDonnell, a consultant and trend expert at WGSN. She suggested that companies should consider alternative business models to achieve steady and sustainable growth, for example, made-to-order services and the circular economy.
With growing pressure to innovate because of consumer demand for truly sustainable materials, the trend forecasting company recommends to partner with companies versed in materials science, or even with competitors, to benefit from their expertise.
Companies should also work on environmentally sustainable transportation. “Creating a sustainable product will not suffice; shipping the product must also be sustainable, otherwise the business risks a backlash,” the WSGN analyst warned, suggesting to consider different shipment methods, minimizing packaging or using alternative packaging materials.
“Consumers are hyper-aware of greenwashing and transparency is a key in rebuilding trust,” she added. “Look for innovative ways of sharing supply chain information with consumers, such as blockchain technology, before it becomes expected,” she suggested.
Sword-McDonnell singled out Allbirds, the California-based producer of Wool Runner merino shoes and other eco-friendly sneakers and apparel, as a positive case study. Not only did the company apply a “carbon tax” on its activities to offset the impact of its products on the environment, but it also partnered with Adidas to co-develop a sneaker. The shoe came out with a carbon footprint of 2.94 kilograms of CO², of which 2.16 kilograms for the manufacturing of the shoe, 0.32 for packaging, 0.09 for transport and 0.37 for end of life processing, according to the companies. The average carbon footprint for a running shoe is estimated at 13.6 kilograms. The commercial release of the shoe is scheduled in 2022, according to Adidas.
When presenting the shoe, Adidas and Allbirds explained that “it was a matter of rethinking the product development process, starting with the ingredients and using Allbirds’ carbon measurement methods, including a life assessment for the product.” The new shoe uses mostly natural and recycled fibers and major savings in emissions were obtained by using renewable energy at the manufacturing stage, in the packaging and the transportation. The two companies said they hoped to have created “a blueprint for the industry” to make more sustainable products with an “open-source” approach.
Swords-McDonnell insisted on the importance of being consistent when communicating to consumers. “Brands should create one simple message surrounding their sustainability strategy and broadcast it throughout the entire customer journey. On the other hand it is necessary to avoid bold and false claims, and especially avoid distraction.”
“Consumers are aware of tokenistic product lines or messaging. If your business is not sustainable, do not claim to be sustainable,” Swords-McDonnell stated.
Photo: © Noah Buscher on Unsplash
