How Brands Can Close The Sustainability Gap

Our recent study Get Going with Green showed that 67.5% of consumers in China are Dark to Medium Green in their attitude towards sustainability. This predisposition tells us that enhanced education about sustainability is not the need of the moment， but creating greater relevance to everyday behavior is. The openness that many consumers have towards adopting more sustainable brands tells us that green is not simply a reputation opportunity for corporations rather it is a marketing opportunity in itself.

So what do brands need to do? It is time to go beyond appealing to people’s altruistic motives or moral values. The brave efforts of so-called Eco Warriors can only create a distance between common folks and idealists.

For China， mainstreaming green starts by recognizing that the mass population already practices sustainable behavior and pointing out that they don’t have to go out of their way to become more sustainable consumers. Consider the widespread practice of cycling to work or to school. In 2010， 14 million cars were sold in China. In contrast， 27 million electric bicycles and 64 million regular bicycles were manufactured， mostly for the domestic market.

On the other hand， the bamboo bikes — espoused by their creators as eco-friendly — are at least five to six times as expensive as the ‘normal’ bikes that most people ride. If using the expensive bike is held out as a model of sustainable transportation， it creates a barrier. If we thought of mainstream bicycle users as green adopters， not merely economically challenged， we will change the frame of mind.

Our research showed that there are plenty of such mainstream green behaviors that warrant active encouragement: from the use of straw mats for sleeping during hot summers， to carrying and refilling one’s own water flask instead of buying bottled water. We can find ways of promoting other sustainable behaviors too， such as segregating garbage and recycling.

There are significant opportunities to promote the sustainable features of existing products， and brands could do well by highlighting them.

Every air conditioner or heating system can be set at a higher or lower temperature， depending on the weather. But most people are not usually thinking about pushing that button; research by the Worldwide Fund for Nature has shown that most people set their temperature at 23° C in summer. We recommended to our client Midea that they add a simple feature to their air conditioners – a green ‘Eco Button’ which would automatically set the temperature at 26° C. A three degree change in the settings on 10 million air conditioners that Midea sells reduces total carbon dioxide emissions by 30%. Now think of the potential for doing the same in every urban home in China， the majority of which have at least one air conditioner. Not only would there be a massive reduction in carbon dioxide emissions， the same households would benefit from substantially lower electricity bills.

When the government announces a multi-billion RMB green stimulus， most people have no idea what it means and who would benefit from that investment. For consumers， policies are esoteric concepts. They wonder: Is it meant to support companies that sell wind turbines for the global market? Does it support the ambitious construction of eco-cities? These policies have little meaning unless they are supported by products which ordinary consumers can easily buy and use.

How are corporations taking advantage of China’s massive green stimulus program and investing in research and development to create more sustainable products for their customers?

The solar energy industry has surely been active in this regard. Rooftops of all types of buildings， particularly individual family homes across China are awash in a sea of solar panels. Thanks to a combination of RD， market competition， and government incentives， models designed typically for families of three start at around RMB 1，500 (USD200). High-end heating systems have more storage capacity and are able to seamlessly switch between solar and gas power. At any given time， some 600，000 workers are busy installing solar heating systems across the country， which means that when green products are created， so are green jobs.

by Kunal Sinha

Chief Knowledge Officer at Ogilvy Mather， China， leading projects that uncover Asia’s dynamic cultural landscape.