ra consumer insights may21 - rainforest alliance

Consumer & Market Insights

May 21

Rainforest Alliance Marketing Team Webinar

Topics Covered

Ø How important is sustainability to Consumers

Ø Who is responsible for solving Sustainability

Ø Consumer Attitudes to environment

Ø Understanding of Rainforest Alliance

Ø Feedback on our strategy

How Important is The Environment to People?

The Audience Context3

59%shoppers

$1,081billion

Source: Europanel, Kantar, GfK - WhoCares? WhoDoes? 2020

Eco-Actives have grown considerably in 2020 and are now worth $382 billion

2020

2019

ECO-DISMISSERS

41%

billion

ECO-ACTIVES

ECO-CONSIDERERS

20%

39%

$759

billion$699

billion$382

3 Different Eco-Segments

Consumers not expecting to reduce their eco behaviours

Sustainability Remains Important Despite Covid

Source: Ipsos Earth Day Report 2021

38%

38%

34%

30%

26%

22%

22%

20%

20%

16%

15%

10%

Plastic waste

Climate change

Water pollution

Air pollution

Deforestation

Water shortage

Waste of food

Insecticides use

Waste of water

Food safety

Extinction of species

Ozone layer

Global LatAmChinaEurope India*

Source: Europanel, Kantar, GfK #WhoCares?WhoDoes? 2020

*India data only available for 2019

43%

45%

29%

30%

27%

21%

24%

18%

16%

11%

18%

10%

40%

30%

49%

36%

6%

14%

11%

32%

15%

50%

10%

7%

22%

30%

43%

27%

31%

30%

17%

20%

30%

10%

14%

13%

SE Asia

55%

21%

32%

35%

21%

20%

29%

23%

18%

37%

4%

5%

36%

17%

29%

13%

27%

38%

28%

19%

34%

20%

8%

8%

Top Environmental Concerns

Climate change, Water , Air and deforestion are top 5 concerns globally

57% 57%70%

48%58%

Global Europe China SEAA LatAm

59% 58%

76%

59% 56%


What sustainable company characteristics do shoppers try to buy?% respondents who Fully agree / Agree

60% 59%

77%69%

56%


Companies whose workers are fairly compensated

Workers are not discriminated against

Companies that show a genuine concern for the environment


People Want a Holistic Approach

They want environment plus fair compensation, non-discrimination, fair working conditions

8

Consumers Expect a Plan from Govt and business


9

Consumers Expect us All to Work Together


49%


75%36%41% 38%

I have stopped buying some products/services because of their impact on the environment or society - % agree/fully agree

Eco-Actives = 75%

Eco-Actives = 63%

Eco-Actives = 78%

Eco-Actives = 69%

Eco-Actives = 54%

Global LatAmChinaEurope SE Asia


Inaction Is Not An Option For Manufacturers

41% will reject your brand because of it’s impact on the environment

Sustainability-marketed products grew 7.1x faster than conventionally-marketed pr3.8x faster than the CPG market

Sustainability Messages Drive Share

Source: NYU Stern Report 2021

Our Audiences and their attitude to sustainability


14

HOW ARE PEOPLE ENTERING THIS CONVERSATION?

Dominant narrative towards the environment is on a turning point from a sense of (abstract) obligation to a question of personal survival

A PLANETARY ISSUEENVIRONMENTALISM 1.0

Dominant view (and has been since the 90s)

People and nature in opposition to each other

Distant & intangible (eg: climate change)

Agents of power are top down

What are the people at the top doing?

We need to recognize and can work with this emerging shift from dualist mindset where 'saving the planet’ is a duty to a holistic mindset of working with nature as the only hope for survival

HUMAN SURVIVALENVIRONMENTALISM 2.0

Emergent discourse (since 2018)

New language of survival, justice and interdependence

Urgent and immediate. Impacting everyone

Agents of change are the people… bottom up

What can I do?

ATTITUDE TO ENVIRONMENT – BY AUDIENCE

PRODUCERS Intuitive holism

Connection between their life and the state of nature is tangible

About local impact not ‘the planet at large’

Mainstream EcoEnvironmentalism 1.0

Aware of problem but not a strong emotional

Do what they should when they can esp. if there’s personal payoff

Active EcoCloser to new mindset

Buy into shared benefit – a question of survival

Same structural barriers exist so not all living the life they want to

PRIVATE DONORS Understand complex science behind environmental issues better (such as CC etc)

Better awareness of the structural causes/ solutions.

”

STAKEHOLDERSFully bought into interconnectedness of social and environmental issues.Often working to address both simultaneously

“DonoharmIsay.weshouldleavetheplaceaswefoundit–forourgrandchildren.Idriveanelectriccar,it'sgoodfortheplanetandsavesmoney”

“There’snochoicebuttoworry,ourfutureisatstake,wereallyallneedtochangehowwelive,it'snotenoughtodolessbad,weneedtofixwhatwe’vebroken”

“Therearecomplexdynamicsofpower,Iknow.Andweneedtolookatthebiggerpictureandhowwecaneachhavethemostimpact"

“Iknowthatwhenthelandisnotgood,thecropsarenotgood,sowehavetolookaftertheenvironment

aroundusotherwisewestarve”

“Socialandenvironmentalissuesareintrinsicallylinked.Youcan’taddressonewith

addressingtheother”

Environmentalism 2.0Environmentalism 1.0

ATTITUDE TO CERTIFICATION – BY AUDIENCE

PRODUCERS About market access =

better buyer

Think of immediate trader but rest of supply chain opaque / back of

mind

Mainstream EcoCONSUMERS

Win-win easy consumer action with feel-good

But rarely driver of discrimination

Eco Actives CONSUMERS

Reassurance they are making best choices

possible.

Want to believe in them

PRIVATE DONORS Certifications are seen as a self-funding model – so no clear need for support and relate to

you more as a consumer

STAKEHOLDERSIncreases transparency across supply chain, but overall difficult to fully

control supply, so certification no silver

bullet

“YeahImeanifthepriceisthesameandthequalityisthesamethenwhynot,it'sgoodtofeelyouarehelpingsomeonesomewhere”

"ItryandlookoutforcertainoneslikeveganandI’magainstGMcropsbuttherearesomanyoutthereIdo

losetrack”

“Ithinktheyareuseful,butIseethemmoreasbusinesses,gettingmoneyfrombrandsratherthanneedingmine”

“Idoapproachthemwithcaution,Iamnotalwayssureofthebenefittome,andexpectalotofbureaucracy”

“Certificationsworktowardsafairersupplychain,butrealityistherearesomanycomplexitiesandpressuresfrom

brandstokeeppricelow,thatproducersdon’talwaysbenefit”

Certifications present a complex landscape – with differing levels of ’buy in’ per audience

17

RA BRAND STATUS - SUPPORTERS

Whilst spontaneous awareness low, the seal and name set up clear expectations that this is about forest protection and wildlife conservation/biodiversity

“IthinkIrecognizeitfrommylocalcafé,whichmostlydoesgoodstuff.”– EcoActive USA

”Iguessitsaboutconservation…protectingtherainforesthabitat”–MainstreamUK

Rainforests evoke residual ideas in consumer minds

Either as ‘the lungs of our planet’ (know why it's good) r images of 2019 fires (but don’t know full problem)

RA BRAND STATUS – STAKEHOLDERS / PRODUCERS

PRODUCERS At first was about market access and immediate financial benefits

But the lived experience of working with RA was a lot richer

RA is either revolutionary messenger of new information, or support in helping producers progress on journey they have already begun

Either way the relationship and experience with RA has exceeded expectations

STAKEHOLDERS At present they see RA’s environmental impact as impressive but Social Justice feels like a new focus for RA with room for

improvement, eg including living wage in their standard

“RAdogreatworkaroundenvironmentalissues,butIwouldlikethemtomakemoreambitious

commitmentsaroundsocialissues,”

“AtfirstIjustwantedtofindabetterbuyer,andthoughtcertificationmightopenthatuptome.ButactuallyIsoonIfoundmybusinesswas

workingalotbetterandthelandalothealthier"

Stakeholders and producers have good adve

Response to Brand Strategy


20

POSITIVE RESPONSE TO THE STRATEGY

Has an emotional richness – people feel it

Works across most targets, feels progressive, emergent narrative and has more distinctiveness at the moment

Takes it into more of a charity / NGO space than pure certification

Positive response to our end line of thrive together esp during current time where spirit of togetherness v salient

• And thriving has become the new language of charity so evokes feeling of ‘all in it together’ and community cohesion

We feel People and Nature thriving together has the strength and potential as a long term position

“Ididn’tknowtheydidallthat,Ijustthoughttheywereaboutrainforests.Ireallylikethattheywork

onhumanrightstoo”- Eco-Active

“Ofcourse,thatallsoundsgood.There’snothingyoucouldnotlikeaboutit.Especiallythattheyworkacrosswhilesupplychain.”-Mainstream

Consumer

“Soundsliketheydoitabitofeverything,howcomeI’veneverheardofthem"

- Donor

RECOMMENDATIONS BY AUDIENCE

PRODUCERS

Connect to their intuitive understanding of interconnectedness of people and nature

Offer programmes to support them to further develop their work in harmony with nature, and enhance focus on social justice

Eco Mainstream

Tell a simple story about People and Nature to engage emotionally, without requiring evolved understanding of Environmentalism 2.0 at this point

Eco Actives

People and nature story can be supported by evidence of 4 impact areas, because this target largely understands how 4 areas interlink

PRIVATE DONORS

Tell a people and nature story to get this beyond idea that RA is a cert org/business that already generates enough income

Ample proof points to build case for support, esp around social impact

STAKEHOLDERS

Tell a people and nature story to chime with environmental 2.0 attitudes, anchored in rigorous proof points, esp around improved impact around social justice

A compelling message that already our audiences

rainforest-alliance.orgDe Ruyterkade 61013 AA, Amsterdam,The Netherlands

125 Broad Street, 9th FloorNew York, NY 10004USA

For Further information please contact [email protected]

ra consumer insights may21 - rainforest alliance

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