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The lights are on, but is anyone home?

31 March 2010

We need to start “single planet living” and offer consumers an ethically correct choice. It’s about leaving our environment in a better state than we found it and, at the same time, sustaining realistic business growth.

Guest contributor Deon Robbertze is Executive Creative Director at Zoom Advertising and Creative Director of Ogilvy Earth.

“Sustainable development meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”

The above definition, from the United Nations Brutland commission conducted in 1983, is self-explanatory to most who read it, but when it comes to putting the sentiment into practice, the majority of brands and corporations in South Africa are operating with a “business as usual” attitude.  This is despite the financial wake-up call of the last year, and the overwhelming statistics about climate change which clearly indicate that immediate action is required.

Since the industrial revolution, man’s appetite to consume has grown with such ferociousness that we’ll soon need to start duplicating our planet if we carry on at this relentless pace.  Capitalism’s Achilles’ heel has been clearly shown as greed and profit at any cost, both environmentally and socially.  We need to rapidly correct the social and environmental imbalances brought about by products, corporations and consumers over the last couple of centuries.  If you need convincing, just go to this website to see the rate at which we are exploiting our planet.

We need to start “single planet living” and offer consumers an ethically correct choice.  It’s about leaving our environment in a better state than we found it and, at the same time, sustaining realistic business growth.  We shouldn’t be waiting for consumers to demand this choice – we should be offering it as a matter of principle.  And we need to do it organically, starting with a focus on the product.

Sustainability that truly works is all about knowing your product’s story and the community that product finds itself in.  We should be interrogating the product, not to reveal its USP (if it still has one in today’s parity marketplace), but to find out its life cycle – how, where, who and what was used to make it, transport it, market it and sell it.  We need to look at the community that buys it and we need to link up with NGOs that see sustainability as an investment and not simply a donation.  These NGOs, together with the sustainable product, can build lasting relationships that not only benefit a planet in dire need of help, but also address social problems within the communities.

But what does the product stand to gain?  Simply put, it can claim the high ground in consumers’ hearts and minds and, as a result, grow market share against products that don’t care.

The skeptics will say that there are bigger problems facing the world today, especially in emerging markets where the last thing on a consumer’s mind is whether a product operates within a sustainable space.  But it is in these societies, where exploitation of the environment and labour is at its worst, and where housing, health, education and job creation are top of the agenda, that brands have to start building lasting partnerships that benefit the people, the planet and the bottom line.

While this partnership with the consumer is of critical importance, it needs to be backed by government in the strongest possible way.  Between the King 3 Code, the Sustainability Index on the JSE, the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) as a tool for environmental management in South Africa and the Green Scorpions, there is hope that together they can become part of a sustainable tsunami of change.

Overseas retailers like B&Q and Wal-Mart started this sustainable process more than five years ago and are now reaping the benefits.  Unilever has stated that “this is the only way forward” and the UK’s 100 biggest firms are now lobbying the government for tough legislation to ensure that products adhere to ethically correct standards.

All three aspects of sustainability – social, environmental and financial – have to be in balance for the earth to continue supporting human life. One would think this is logical but unfortunately, like many times before in history, greed seems to supersede logic.

The Supply Chain Intelligence Report (SCIR) 2009 found that 41.3% of the companies from the major industries in the country, including the automotive, food and beverage, mining, construction, transportation and chemical sectors, did not have any plans to incorporate metrics to measure their impact on the environment.  The unwillingness to adopt new and important environmental KPIs demonstrated by more than 40% of the South African companies that took part in this survey  is alarming, particularly in the light of South Africa’s precarious energy situation and Eskom’s successful call for a major tariff increase.

According to Graham Terry from Terra Nova Research, the compilers of the report, companies that want to get ahead of the rest and position themselves for long-term growth urgently need to start thinking green, and developing sustainable approaches to sourcing and supply chain management.  The competitive realities of the current economic environment demand that companies proactively manage new customer needs and expectations, as well as increase environmental regulations.  

He notes that South African companies manufacturing products to be shipped overseas, or with mother companies abroad, are going to find it increasingly difficult to escape international pressure – particularly from the US and Europe – to monitor and report on the impact their operations have on the environment.

As marketers, we have the influence to slowly start turning the tide against corporate irresponsibility. We’re in a position to help our clients realise that sustainability is not just a fad, but rather an imperative solution that can deliver results – not only for the shareholders but also for this planet we call home.

Clem Sunter spoke about the high road and the low road when South Africa started its journey to a new democracy.  We are now at another fork in the road where we need to choose the legacy we leave behind for future generations.

You choose. And remember: if no one is home, switch off the damn lights.