Green has gone from the margins to the mainstream

To coincide with World Environment Day last Thursday, Kimberly-Clark, in partnership with WWF-Australia and Banksia Foundation, hosted a leadership forum to discuss the role of NGOs, businesses and brands in inspiring a sustainable future.

The discussion acknowledged the powerful role that businesses and brands can play in inspiring change and the need for continued collaboration across business and NGOs, as well as government.

It was also acknowledged that green consumerism had moved from the margins to the mainstream with GFK Roper research saying ‘Going Green’ is the number two consumer trend in Australia and number one consumer trend globally^[1] with the green market valued at $12 billion according to The Mobium Group^[2].

Robbert Rietbroek, managing director and chief executive K-C Australia, New Zealand, Pacific Islands, said: “It’s more than just tapping into the green market, it’s about tapping into what Australian consumers want, which is to buy from trusted brands with great quality products that deliver to their needs. They also want to be assured that these trusted brands are doing the right thing by the environment and the community, and that the parent company that makes them abides by the highest ethics.

“Going Green is certainly mainstream and social and environmental considerations are now core to the consumer brand trust equation,” explained Rietbroek during his presentation.

A recent Nielson survey on corporate social responsibility also finds that three in five Australian consumers think more highly of a company that supports worthy causes and over half feel increased loyalty to those brands and companies. Importantly, a third of Australians said they buy from these companies, for this reason, each month^[3].

As the only partner of WWF’s Love Your Forests program, Kimberly-Clark has committed worldwide to sustainable sourcing of forest fibre. They also work to educate people about the importance of sustainable forest management. This includes promoting Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification - the mark of responsible forestry.

WWF-Australia CEO Dermot O’Gorman said: “Collaboration and partnership is critical within and among sectors in order to take action on many of the environmental and conservation issues the world faces. It’s great to see large companies like Kimberly-Clark, with its consumer-facing brands taking a proactive and holistic approach to sustainability.” 

At the event Kimberly-Clark also launched its latest Sustainability Progress Report highlighting measurable deliverables across its three pillars of sustainability - People, Planet and Products.

[1] GFK Roper Research

[2]The Mobium Group

[3] Nielson Survey, 2014