Tesco is said to be dropping the carbon labelling that it displayed so prominently on many of its products. This was a groundbreaking scheme for a monster of the retail sector. Where did it all go wrong?
Marketing Week reports that Tesco’s move reflects “disappointment” that more supermarkets didn’t follow suit. But this isn’t a blame game of Tesco showing leadership and others failing to follow. Plenty of activity is going on to communicate product sustainability to consumers, whether it’s the mass of Fairtrade labels in Sainsbury’s and the Co-op, free-range-egg labelling on Hellman’s mayonnaise and McDonald’s paper bags, or the pictures of smiling, eco-friendly farmers on pots of Yeo Valley, on the meat in Waitrose and on the KitKat wrapper. Retailers and Brands are talking to consumers; they’re just talking in a different way to Tesco.
The fact of the matter is that many consumers don’t fully understand what a carbon footprint is, let alone feel informed to make a decision based on a “360g CO2” label on their orange juice. We need a clearer message about the products on Tesco’s shelves. That could mean more recognised labels such as Fairtrade, Red Tractor, Freedom Food or even the new WindMade sign. But even better would be embedding sustainability into the brand so that consumers trust that what they’re buying meets a certain standard. Hats off to M&S, there. Tesco was right to think that consumers want supermarkets to show leadership, but its attempt to engage them in that conversation missed the mark.
‘Doing the right thing’ isn’t always easy in business, even if you can see the commercial opportunity.
John Lewis is celebrating the release of its latest CSR report, which says that doing the right thing isn’t just good economics, it’s also part of their purpose as a partnership.
The colourful report highlights some steady achievements in its summary - in areas like reducing environmental impacts, keeping employees happy and supporting local communities. But why is the really meaty stuff – about products and customers – not put in the spotlight?
M&S is shouting very clearly about what it stands for: it plans to be “the most sustainable retailer in the world” by 2015. What does John Lewis stand for? A partnership, yes; one that focuses on quality in every sense of the word, one might think. With such huge potential to show what this means for the business, its world, our world and the future, a more innovative and relevant CSR strategy and stronger communications are needed. Their latest CSR report feels like it’s missed a trick.
Today’s e-bulletin from Good Business looks at the latest Concerned Consumer Index (CCI) results on the supermarket sector.
All retailers have seen a rise in consumer trust (M&S remain top on almost all ethical measures) and nearly half of consumers (49%) think the sector is doing enough to address its social and environmental issues - the highest of any sector we survey.
However, the sector is still facing a number of serious issues, none more pressing than waste. 92% of consumers think food waste in the supermarket sector is a serious issue and more needs to be done about it. Given that a commitment to no landfill and compostable waste is the social or environmental issue that has seen the biggest rise in importance when it comes to determining consumers' supermarket choice (up 12% from 2010 to 55%), this is clearly going to be one of the big talking points of 2011.
Get in touch if you would like to read the full e-bulletin news on consumer attitudes towards supermarkets, what the Government’s new Responsibility Deals mean for businesses, the business case for responsibility, and more. Or click here to join our mailing list.
Tesco is said to be dropping the carbon labelling that it displayed so prominently on many of its products. This was a groundbreaking scheme for a monster of the retail sector. Where did it all go wrong?
