Selling Sustainability

“Welcome to Modbury and, please, don’t ask for a plastic bag.” All 43 retailers from this little South Devon village have decided to ban plastic carrier bags. So, where will this lead to? Are we going to be confined to rickshaw’s to travel our lanes and highways? Will there be roadblocks by the Carbon Police with their secret hand scanners that detects the slightest excess of CO2 emission? No doubt, there will soon be roads paved in automatic cameras that can detect what carbon is being released. Well, I hope not…

That said, selling sustainability is getting serious. The funny thing is to understand why it has taken the food industry so long to react to what is clearly now a long-lasting trend and not a short-lived fashion. The question is: are you, as part of this industry, demonstrating to your customers that your business is ahead of the pack, not just reacting and copying your competitors?

We, for example, are in the process of converting all our plastic carrier bags to biodegradable, starch based bags. It has got to be a good move. Slight problem, however, they are only economically made in China… Oops! (if anyone knows a UK producer, please let me know)

Clearly, we can all do our bit – the reality is that we all need to make sure that we are selling sustainability. I am sure that ‘binning’ our plastic bags is a step in the right direction, but we need to be far more radical. And, what’s more radical than championing local sourcing – buying locally is not a new concept, merely a return to the past, but this is really significant when considering sustainability.

Supermarkets are rapidly trying to develop their own solution and are also buying local. We are, in fact, working with ASDA to help them with their sourcing – whether you like it or not, multiples have spotted this growing trend and are going for it big style. Our decision to work with ASDA, will enable us to influence people in our region to choose locally produced food instead of industrial alternatives. Every consumer we convert from factory, mass produced food are all potential new customers for our retail business, in-store or online.

Sustainability has catapulted local sourcing to levels we never imagined. The independent food sector can lead this revolution in consumer buying behavior – with or without working with the supermarkets. Establishing yourself as the first point of contact for all things related to local food should be your priority. And, keep ahead of the curve regarding what is good to improve sustainability, even if it cynically relates to business. I believe we need to constantly think about this issue.

So, what products should we start to challenge from a sustainability point of view? Here’s a thought: mineral water, even locally produced, this product is just barking mad. We have a national network that squirts clean, healthy water direct to our homes and yet we still drive our cars to supermarkets and lug gallons of plastic/glass encased water. Now that’s bonkers!

By concentrating on this, other products also start to look ridiculous as well. For some reason, some retailers think buying cookies from Australia is OK – don’t hide, you know who you are! It’s nothing personal, they are fantastic products, but that’s just lazy buying! So, come on guys let get serious about selling sustainability. I look forward to your comments – why not name and shame?

Rob Ward advises food producers and retailers (www.on-ward.co.uk). He also runs a thriving retail and food distribution business in Shropshire (www.greenfieldsonline.co.uk) and looks forward to your feedback at email, rob@on-ward.co.uk, or call him directly on 07773777097