Cultures, Countries & Your Sustainability Story

Seventeen years ago, Shelton Group launched our first Eco Pulse® and Energy Pulse® consumer insights studies in the U.S. We’ve been surveying Americans every year since. I’m thrilled that now, as part of ERM, we’ve gone global! I’ve been pulling from our global research findings for several recent blog posts and presentations, but today we’re launching our first full report based on surveying consumers in 12 different countries.

In each country, we asked people what makes someone “eco-friendly” with the goal of finding out how local values should influence companies’ sustainability communications. Because if your company operates and sells in the U.S, Brazil, the UK and China, your words can easily be translated from English to Portuguese and Mandarin. But that doesn’t mean your sustainability story will resonate in the countries and cultures where these languages are spoken. The words you use are important (our U.S.-based Buzz on Buzzwords report demonstrates why), but a story is more than words. What you choose to highlight, what you choose not to talk about, and how you connect with your audience’s specific values and real-life concerns … that’s all part of building your story.

Our research unearthed two distinct patterns of sustainability care-abouts that will guide your sustainability story in the countries we surveyed and help you predict effective ways to tell your story in countries we haven’t yet surveyed. I’ll paint them with broad strokes here — download the free report to get all the details.

Pattern #1: In the report, we use more technical terminology grounded in cross-cultural psychology to refer to these patterns. But the gist of the first pattern highlights countries and cultures that are more individualist, less hierarchical, attempt to distribute power more evenly and feel there are channels to influence the status quo. The U.S., Australia, the UK, Canada and Germany consistently exhibit this pattern, and Poland, Spain and Brazil sometimes do. In these countries …

• Recycling is the defining behavior for an eco-friendly person. No surprise there. And the hurdle for storytelling across these countries, like we’ve been seeing in the U.S., is crumbling consumer confidence in the recycling system. So recycling does need to be a central part of your story in these countries — but, like I’ve been saying for a while, it can’t be the only part. Large majorities of consumers in these countries are also interested in hearing about your greenhouse gas emission reduction efforts, so there’s a great opportunity to tie together recycling and climate action.
• Inflation is consumers’ top concern for the future. Inflation ranked higher than plastic waste or climate change — it’s the worry that hits closest to home right now. But there’s a connection between the economic and the environmental that brands can lean into here. The majority of consumers in these countries still say they’re searching for more energy-efficient, natural and eco-friendly products. Speak to consumers’ concern about inflation by highlighting economic benefits of your products — how does your product save energy and thus money? Or how does your high-quality, sustainably sourced product last longer and thus decrease lifetime costs?

Pattern #2: Countries and cultures that fit this pattern are generally collectivist societies. They’re more likely to define their self-image in terms of “we” than “I.” At the same time, there’s typically more hierarchy in personal, political and economic power structures — in other words, greater distance between people at the top and people perceived to be at the bottom. We see this pattern consistently in the UAE, India, China and Nigeria, and sometimes in Poland, Spain and Brazil. In these countries …

• Purchasing eco-friendly products is the defining behavior of an eco-friendly person. In the U.S., only 44% say using eco-friendly products is an important part of their personal image. That percentage jumps to 70% in Brazil, 79% in China and a whopping 92% in India. Brands, you need to demonstrate how your products empower consumers to be eco-friendly — and to be seen as eco-friendly. If your own brand image doesn’t reflect your commitment to sustainability, you’ll have a harder time convincing consumers that you can help them shape their sustainable image.
• Visible, tangible environmental damage — including air and water pollution, plastic waste and deforestation — is consumers’ top concern for the future. Specifically, the damage they’re most worried about is what’s literally right outside their doors: people in the UAE are most concerned about water pollution and shortages, for instance, and in Brazil, people are thinking about water pollution and deforestation. And this environmental damage is directly related to climate change, as a contributor or as an effect. Brands need to start their story, then, with how their eco-friendly products help someone live a sustainable lifestyle — and highlight benefits that counteract the scary possibilities of a home without clean water and enough food, with dirty air and extreme weather. And the companies behind the brands need to clearly communicate about their actions to directly address the environmental damage people in those countries are seeing daily and are, therefore, worried about.

So, where are you telling your story? And, are you telling it in ways that will connect with those cultures and audiences? Brands need to get this right and do it without greenwashing!

Our free report includes all the country-specific details and how to apply them to your brand’s sustainability storytelling. I hope you’ll take a look, then give us a shout with questions or ideas. Happy reading!