Research says advertise your products' ethical credentials

Many corporate sustainability advisers alike have experienced the dilemma of whether to proactively promote their sustainability credentials.

“But if we promote it, might it open us up to questions we can’t answer?” I hear in one corridor. “Could we be accused of greenwashing?” is asked in another. “And does anyone really care about this stuff?” These are all concerns which can immobilise some organisations and lead to missed opportunities.

These days, hopefully most will get past this stage, bringing them to the more difficult question of how to promote their products’ or brands’ ethical credentials. Well according to research detailed in a recent Harvard Business Review article, it’s critical to advertise your products’ ethical credentials. Studies have found that people will use ethical information if it’s right in front of them, but they won’t seek it out.

“Companies that are making goods in an ethical way need to advertise their practices prominently. Don’t force consumers to seek out that information. People will use the information if it’s there. They just don’t want to look for it,” outlined the researchers.

This would suggest that the old “let’s just put it on the website” isn’t going to cut it and brand owners will miss out on further capitalising on the investment made in securing the ethical credentials (which usually doesn’t come cheap) by not effectively communicating it.

According to the research, the reason why the majority of people don’t want to look for ethical credential information is that people don’t want to deal with the bad feelings that will arise if you discover horrible practices. This indicates that the mindset of ‘burying your head in the sand’ is still alive and kicking in consumer land! That being said, it does take time and a degree of effort to seek out and look up that sort of information, which you might not be so motivated to do for more common household items.

Pleasingly, it appears that more and more Australian brand owners are choosing to advertise their ethical credentials in a bold way. Take for example Simplot with its current John West ‘Unlimited Edition’ advertising campaign promoting its Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification. In the toilet paper category, Kleenex Cottonelle became the first brand owner to boldly advertise its Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) as a point of difference and as a reason for consumers to choose the brand.

The point here is simple. By being a brand owner that advertises your ethical credentials, you are not only differentiating your brand for the right reasons (which will hopefully lead to enhanced sales and brand equity scores) but you also have the added benefit of knowing that you’re driving awareness and understanding of third-party certifications and consumer demand for them. This in turn has significant impact and pull-through on product supply chains and the natural resources that they rely on. The case is clear — do yourself and the planet a favour and communicate your products’ or brands’ ethical credentials, ideally at the point of purchase, in an authentic and credible way.

Image credit: ©stock.adobe.com/au/Ottonera