For some brands, the climate has been a consideration since their inception.
Now, as marketers from all different sectors look to build more sustainable practices into their work, early adopters have acquired an expertise that can help CMOs new to the space avoid mistakes, pitfalls or missteps. Orlando Baeza, cmo of Flock Freight and Jamie Gersch, cmo of Rothy’s, joined Adweek’s Jenny Rooney at the Sustainability Leadership Forum Thursday to share what they’ve learned from weaving sustainability into their business goals.
Staying true to sustainability as you grow
As the market becomes increasingly focused on sustainability, companies like Rothy’s and Flock Freight, which have had sustainability at their core since the start, highlight how a commitment to environmental responsibility can be a key differentiator in a challenging and competitive category.
Consumers are absolutely making decisions based on which brands support the things that matter to them in their lives.
Orlando Baeza, CMO, Flock Freight
According to Gersch, Rothy’s, known for its shoes made from recycled plastic, is continually innovating to build on its foundation of sustainability. It does so through initiatives like in-store recycling options where consumers can recycle their Rothy’s to create double-recycled shoes.
“Part of the growth initiatives is obviously growing the business from the core product through our experiences, building out channels and distribution,” she said. “The other piece that the value of sustainability holds because of how important it is to the differentiation of the brand is, ‘How do we continue to build on it and make it a key piece of how we do business?’ It’s very much embedded in how we do business every day, and that’s top of mind of every function from marketing to supply chain to merchandising. It’s not an ‘other thing,’ it’s a core part of how we do business.”
Sustainability as a pathway to loyalty
In today’s socially conscious climate, consumers are increasingly gravitating towards brands that align with their values and support causes that matter to them. As consumer behavior continues to shift, companies must adapt their strategies to focus on building long-term loyalty with their customers.
“What we know is that consumers today are absolutely making decisions on which brands to support based on which brands support the things that matter to them in their lives,” Baeza said. “When you talk about profitability and lifetime value of any consumer of any product of any industry, you can directly correlate that to loyalty. So, every brand should be thinking about loyalty. This is a pathway to creating loyalty.”
Baeza emphasizes that it’s crucial for marketers to adopt sustainable practices and not feel intimidated by the sustainability efforts or ESG goals of larger corporations. He suggests that instead of comparing themselves to these corporations, marketers should focus on taking small but effective steps toward sustainability, starting where they are and building from there.
