Sustainable supply chains
New products are now being produced from different raw materials, from sustainable and organic suppliers, from recycled materials from previous products, and from new biodegradable and recyclable synthetic materials.
New product sales are being replaced by re-sell, second-hand, rented products, which are then repaired, re-imagined and upcycled.
I’ve been increasingly approached to help retail brands to become more sustainable through the products that they sell, how they are sourced and produced, and what materials they are made from. Retailers as varied as Lateria Soresina, OVS, Bialetti, Max&Co, Ragno, Halfords, Boots, AllSaints, Nespresso, Primark, Camper, Cortefiel, Springfield, Sonae, Otto Versand, La Caixa, Gruppo Vestebene & Alessi, amongst others.
Clients approaches to sustainability are moving away from marketing and communications to genuine initiatives to reduce carbon footprints and improve product sustainability and reduce waste.
A major concern, and opportunity, is the need to make more money from selling less products, by engineering product lifetimes and customer lifecycle loyalties. Commercial models are now evolving to integrate recycled materials, recycled products, re-sell, rental, repair and up-sell into their commercial business models.
Every consultancy project is created and developed for each client’s specific sustainability needs, goals and requests. The scope, timing, resources and process is agreed after an initial discussion process.
To have a discussion about your sustainability product processes, email me at tim@retailmeaning.com
Latteria Soresina
Italy & Europe
Latteria Soresina is one of the biggest cheese producers in Italy, specialising, and renowned for Grana Padano.
The business is vertically integrated as a cooperative of dairy farmers. Every farmer is governed by a strict sustainability policy where the cows graze in organically managed pastures.
Like many producer bands, Latteria Soresina is evolving into a DTC business where it intends to sell through its own shops and cafes, website and sustainable partners.
Key to its proposition is sustainability at every level. This requires the application of strict regulations across all of its partners, collaborators and acquisitions, the building and management of its shops, down to distribution methods, packaging and its involvement in improving local communities.
It is fascinating to see how employees are now playing a major role, and becoming a major influence, in how the business they work for has to behave, both ethically and sustainably.
I’ve seen a major shift in this. There is now no hiding place, no room for ‘greenwashing’ by senior executives. They need to be genuine with their colleagues as much as with their customers.
The sustainability of a brand is increasingly important to many employees I have spoken to, and will be a determining factor in whom they want to work for in the future.
There are more client project stories to discover on the Great Retailers page…
Check out sustainability related posts on the Retailmeaning Blog…
To have that first discussion, email me at tim@retailmeaning.com