As we see more brands make big changes that relate to the causes their customers care about, will we begin to see significant stands made on plastic?
Sourced through Scoop.it from: www.brandwatch.com
It can seem like every day there is a new buzz story surrounding big brands, the bad effects of plastic packaging or a new scheme being introduced to reduce this.
Don’t worry it’s not just you. Conversations surrounding plastics have increased to over 300% on Social Media in the year 2017/18.
In fact the Collin Dictionary has crowned ‘single use’ their word of 2018. Documentaries like Blue Planet have made the word a household name due to the awareness they have raised around these issues. Thank you David Attenborough.
Other charities like Greenpeace have played a part as have the countless number of celebrities using their platform to ‘weigh in’ and express their concerns on the issue.
It’s a growing movement for sure but the public and activists in general are not waiting for celebrities or World Earth Day to make their opinions known.
During 2018 plastic packaging conversation peaked when Starbucks and McDonald’s made pledges to rid plastic straws from their stores.
Bold claims that have been scrutinized to show a limited impact on overall plastic waste at best. Its goods but plastic straws in the oceans are not the biggest concern. They only make up (0.3%) of plastic waste in the worlds oceans. Consumables like packaging bags and cartons make up far bigger ratios.
What is needed is more drastic action. How can brands do this though without challenging their customers too much? How can they challenge the packaging companies they work with to meet all the requirements to make alternatives feasible in the long term.
Social listening has become a ‘go to’ method for determining where customers environmental concerns lie. Brands can then prioritize them appropriately. Using measures like tonality and language to determine importance and relevance.
Whatever the future it is going to be the one of the major awareness issues of our time.