Seven Sustainability Trends to Watch for in 2013
Seven Sustainability Trends to Watch for in 2013
Every year, sustainability professionals come together to discuss trends and expectations for the future. The meetings, like Net Impact and BSR, buzz with heady discussions about the world’s social and environmental issues: poverty, human trafficking, child labor, transparency, and climate change.
When we get home, business-based attendees have to sort through the aspirational talk to determine which social and environmental issues should guide corporate sustainability programs. Relevancy isn’t always direct or obvious but it’s critical for companies who want to remain leaders in sustainability.
Based on my review, here are the business-relevant trends worth watching in 2013:
1. Managing Consumption
Increasingly, high-consumption behavior is raising the eyebrows of consumers who reject the idea that “more” is better. Overflowing landfills, closets, and credit card balances are creating a generation of repentant spenders who proudly shop at thrift stores and websites that feature “gently used” items. The implication is huge for consumer goods companies whose business plans are built on seasonal buying patterns and whose growth is based on the latest trends. To counter, responsive apparel retailers are launching “takeback” programs to retrieve and recycle used items, creating in-store collection sites as a way to get shoppers back and feed the desire to enact “reduce, recycle and reuse” principles.
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