signmesh snapshot - the best of sustainability

snapshot
the best of
sustainability
Explore best practices around sustainability. Consumer expect
brands to do more and stand for more. Check how
sustainability is driving business, social and environmental
innovation.
SIGNMESH.COMSNAPSHOTJUNE2018

introduction
INTRODUCTION
Consumer expectations towards sustainability and
clear stands for causes are constantly on the rise.
In this report, we will explore how brands and business
are reacting to sustainability trend in areas of:
• BUSINESS INNOVATION - how are businesses
innovating to bring sustainability issues to the front
of their activities
• SOCIAL INNOVATION - what kind of initiatives are
inspiring and enabling people and communities to
do good
• ENVIRONMENTAL INNOVATION - how are
companies approaching environmental issues to
bring a positive change

content
1
consumers’
state of
mind
2
best practices
around
sustainability
3
what’s the
takeout?
CONTENT

consumers’  
state of mind
INTRODUCTION
1
4

68%
of Millennials say that
“creating change in the
world is a personal goal of
mine that I actively pursue”
CONSUMERS STATE OF MIND
41%
also said the had “recently taken
concrete action (protested in a
march, volunteered on a
campaign, canvassed a
neighborhood for signatures) on
an issue that is important to me”
Source: Enso
CONSUMERS'STATEOFMIND

Consumers who are
more likely to buy
from or to boycott a
brand because of its
stance on a social
or political issue
Consumers who are
more likely to make
their purchase
decisions based on
the beliefs of brands
than they were three
years ago
Consumers who said they
made their first purchase
with a brand purely
because they agreed with
their stance on a sensitive
social issue
CONSUMERS WANT BRANDS
THAT SPEAK OUT
57% 30% 67%
Source: Edelman

would not buy from a
brand simply because
they did not speak up
at all on an issue
WHAT IS MORE…
65%
Source: Edelman

best practices
around
sustainability
INTRODUCTION
2

business
innovation
How are businesses innovating to bring
sustainability issues to the front of their
activities

A Goood
Collaboration
Die Fantastischen Vier - four musicians
who together make up one of Germany’s
longest-running hip-hop bands - will be
cooperating with Goood Mobile, the
provider aiming to make the greatest
possible social impact as an advertising
partner. The provider’s concept is that
users donate 10% of their basic monthly
fee to their chosen purpose, and the
company themselves donate 25% of
their profits to socially beneficial
projects.
They emphasize the goal of enabling
“painless giving,” with a business that
people can not only support by being
customers but actively participate in.
Source: http://signme.sh/nrzjT57UC
FINANCETRENDSBUSINESSINNOVATION

Supermarket
Starts Urban
Farming Initiative
All harvested produce will be sold in-
store. At the moment they grow five
kinds of lettuce and for the coming year
tomatoes, eggplants and zucchini will be
added. Next to just selling the produce,
the urban garden will also function as an
educational space, offering workshops
to schools in 2018.
There are a lot of advantages to this kind
of farming. With the glasshouses,
local fresh produce can be offered the
whole year round also indoor farming
uses less water and doesn't require
pesticides, when at the same time
reducing carbon emissions.
Source: http://signme.sh/bSyj1txLN
BUSINESSINNOVATION

Radical
Transparency
Disrupts Fashion
Source: http://signme.sh/TcSOuTq3m
BUSINESSINNOVATION
Everlane’s founder, Michael Preysman,
always had the goal to “explode the
fundamental building blocks of fashion”.
The company always took a very open
approach to pricing, letting consumers
know exactly where prices were coming
from.
The latest initiative the company started:
changing the price of their sweaters
based on the falling prices for cashmere
fibers. This transparency initiative
underlines the company’s intended
social impact, not letting consumers in
the dark about global trade evolvements
like so many others do.

Lush Embrace
Zero Packaging
Source: http://signme.sh/BWUcESvPr
BUSINESSINNOVATION
Lush are already known for their
recyclable packaging and eco-conscious
nature, and now they’re going a step
further.
They recently held a “Naked House”
event where they debuted new concepts
for sustainable product packaging.
These included cork dishes for soap
bars, bath bomb trays made from
recycled paper mixed with water and
moulded as well as bath oil boxes
produced from recycled takeaway coffee
cups.

Marks & Spencer
Plan A
Source: http://signme.sh/BWUcESvPr
BUSINESSINNOVATION
Marks & Spencer recognized the speed
at which their customers’ world was -
and is - changing with great political,
social and technological disruption. They
decided to launch Plan A ten years ago,
a movement within their business to
tackle five big issues - climate change,
waste, resources, fair partnerships and
health.
All of their actions as a business and
brand since then have aligned to in some
way address these topics. In the process
they are helping their customers to have
a more positive impact on wellbeing,
communities and the planet.

social
innovation
What kind of initiatives are inspiring and
enabling people and communities to do
good

Doing Good With
Just One Swipe
Giving for good causes has never
been easier: Misereor's posters
placed in high frequented areas like
airports call for donation and offer a
simple act of simply swiping your
credit card which is enough to donate
two euros without any further needed
security steps.
You can also see immediately what
your donation does, as the swipe of
the card symbolically cuts through
the chains binding a Philippine child
prisoner or cuts a slice of bread for a
family in Peru.
Source: http://signme.sh/37F9k3fxz
SOCIALINNOVATION

Charity Gamified
The mobile payment platform Alipay
gamifies going green with the app Ant
Forest, rewarding all actions that are
reducing carbon footprint like using
public transport or walking.
Users collect “energy points” and
compete with friends to grow virtual
trees. After collecting enough points,
Ant Financial will plant a real tree. Alipay
is also taking transparency issues around
charitable work in China very seriously
by using blockchain to power the
donation platform and installing cameras
to show participants the planted forests.
Source: http://signme.sh/T2DZOXS80
SOCIALINNOVATION

Rewards For
Healthy Living
The Helsana+ app gives users an
additional motivation to stay fit and
healthy. It lets them collect Plus Points
for sport activities, preventive health
measures and memberships in gyms and
clubs. Those Plus Points can then be
redeemed in the form of cash payments
as well as offers and discounts from
Helsana’s partners. The app further lets
users set a personal target to make
collecting points more fun.
Source: http://signme.sh/CJCL3VN5y
SOCIALINNOVATION

UK City Introduces
Own Social
Cryptocurrency
The scheme is an application of the
blockchain technology and is completely
digital and can only be earned by
volunteering or community work rather
than bought or sold with hard cash. The
idea behind it is basically a corporate
loyalty card but for community loyalty.
Local businesses would be offering
discounts bewtween 10-50 per cent. The
program both attracts customers and
boosts corporate responsibility
credentials.
Source: http://signme.sh/djGu61s9n
SOCIALINNOVATION

Educating The Next
Generation Of
Coders
Mattel partnered with computing
platform Tynker to bring coding lessons
to 10 million children by 2020. The goal is
to spark a desire for pursuing tech-based
careers. Seven Barbie coding lessons will
be created to inspire kids, especially
girls, to go into technical professions.
Source: http://signme.sh/CYatOCBaR
SOCIALINNOVATION

environmental
innovation
How are companies approaching
environmental issues to bring a positive
change
ENVIRONMENTALINNOVATION

Adidas’ Ocean
Plastic Moonshot
In a contribution to rid the world’s
oceans of plastic, Adidas declared a
moonshot for 2024 whereby all their
products will be made from the recycled
plastic. Eric Liedtke, head of global
brands at the company made the
announcement, and the initiative will be
led by the brand’s partnership with
Parley for the Oceans.
Source: http://signme.sh/y9G7P0is8

Super Clean
Super Bowl
In a bid to become the first-ever zero-
waste Super Bowl, this year’s event
saw 200 students taking part in the
event by providing more bins,
informing stadium-goers about what’s
recyclable and where to dispose of
each material. They were also joined
by volunteers from PepsiCo - the
sponsor company - who also acted as
ambassadors for the campaign.
Source: http://signme.sh/PDrhbJ_I6

Lacoste’s
Powerful New
Logos
To highlight ten endangered species,
Lacoste will be swapping out their
classic crocodile logo of 85 years on a
series of limited edition polo shirts for
the endangered animals.
This campaign, named “Save Our
Species” is kicking off their new
three-year partnership with the
International Union for Conservation
of Nature (IUCN). The number of
limited edition shirts featuring each
animal will also correspond to the
number left in the wild.
Source: http://signme.sh/xe7SA29ha

A Mobile Bank
With A Purpose
Tomorrow is a 100% mobile bank which
helps customers make an impact. The
bank itself finances renewable energy,
organic agriculture and microcredit
projects, and sponsors reforestation
projects with every payment users make.
The technology behind the bank also aims
to make sending money, saving and
spending as smooth and responsive as
possible, with full control for the
customer and even a tailored investment
strategy for each individual to make a
positive impact with their money. The app
also has an “impact board” which tells
customers exactly what their money
helped save or sustain.
Source: http://signme.sh/N6y-eIqYY

Patagonia's
Microsite For Real
Action
Patagonia has launched Patagonia Action
Works, a place people who want to make
a difference can “sign up, show up [and]
take action”. This is a microsite where
users can find like-minded people in their
vicinity to join up with. They simply
select their location and the causes they
feel most strongly about, which include
topics such as climate, communities and
water, and they are shown a list of
organizations matching the criteria as
well as nearby events and volunteering
opportunities. Organizations are also
able to apply for grants from the
Patagonia brand via this site.
Source: http://signme.sh/h6bMw5GD-

what’s the
takeout?
THETAKEOUT
3

Communication has to be always in line
with what the company stands for
Learnings
01
LEARNINGS

Making a firm stand about causes that
the company believes in is key
Learnings
02
LEARNINGS

Proper understanding of the context &
empathy of the situations and
movements around the society is crucial
Learnings
03
LEARNINGS

visit signmesh.com
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This report has been created with the signmesh innovation hub. A tailored
dashboard of curated insights and business cases to keep your company
ahead of the learning curve and inspire ongoing innovation.
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The signmesh innovation hub is a service
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Consulting and LOOP New Media. signmesh
helps to create a company culture of
innovation and keeps your team inspired and
up to speed.
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www.signmesh.com
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