Time for some real Hope

Hope could be the latest fad to hit consumers’ buying habits this week, as Budgens begins selling blocks of it. And by that I mean literally wooden blocks with the word 'hope' written on them. Place a block in your shopping basket and, when you get to the till, £1 will be added to your bill and donated to Alzheimer's Society. This nifty new idea was created by advertising agency JWT, and trials are already a big talking point.

There’s an interesting link here with the rise of ethical consumption. We've seen surveys show that 83% of people willing to change consumption habits if it can help make the world a better place, and the rise of ethical shopping with consumers choosing fairtrade, sustainably sourced goods and brands supporting good causes. The blocks of Hope build on this trend – enabling everyday shopping habits to have a positive impact on other people. And of course, on top of that it’s a great way to help charities at a time of falling public donations.

But are we at risk of a distraction here? Is this really the way we want to help solve social and environmental issues – impromptu, tiny donations while on our weekly shop? Leaving aside issues about the number of charities, the size of the donation and the unpredictability of income, surely a better way for supermarkets to help charities is to enable you to buy in a way that contributes to causes, rather than throwing around your small change. After all, buying certain products, such as those with a cause marketing element or those where the brand stands for a certain code of ethics, is already a way we can consider ethics while we shop.

There are other ways to show what I, the consumer, hope for. Isn’t it better when I buy shampoo knowing that the product wasn’t tested in animals? Or that through buying this orange juice rather than that one, I know it’s been produced in a way that takes account of carbon impacts? Or that buying this tea means that the community where it was grown are going to be able to build a new school? I don’t mind whether it’s about ethical production of a product, or ethical donations as a result of purchasing – as long as it makes me think about the product and my impacts on the world, it makes sense.

I'd like to see more companies understand that people will place goods, and not just blocks of wood, in their basket if it means they can bring hope to solving a social or environmental issue.

We have seen the real success stories of Pampers with its vaccine scheme and The Body Shop with stance on animal testing, and the stats are there to show that linking products with ethics brings brand benefit as well as social/environmental impacts.

Blocks of hope is a nice new way for a supermarket to help charities. But the impact’s a lot smaller than that of purchasing ethically. I’m hoping that the real impact of this initiative is that it becomes yet another demonstration to businesses that people want to factor ethics into their shopping activities. It’s time for new, innovative and exciting ways to prove the ethics behind the brands on our shelves.