Sustainable Marketing Strategies for Floral

IFPA partnered with Kantar to identify six growth opportunities for the floral industry to increase sales.

Gen Z is reinterpreting and redefining what sustainability means. Gen Z views sustainability as an existential issue and one that goes beyond just the environment and climate to include things like labor and equity. It is expected that brands have a positive impact on the world through things like regenerative agriculture and the circular economy.

There is an opportunity to tell a bigger, broader story about sustainability. 81% of Gen Z and 82% of Millennials agree it’s important that the companies they buy from are clear about their values. 66% of Gen Z are willing to pay more for a product if it’s tied to having a positive impact on society.

Sustainable marketing involves promoting products that are designed as environmentally or socially conscious and/or conveying corporate or brand values and commitments to sustainability.

Sustainable Marketing Strategies
(Ballantine and Kemper at Penn State)

Doing Less Bad- promote sustainable products based on 3 attributes:

1. production conditions - how products are made, e.g., safe working conditions
2. product characteristics - what the product contains and what it does, e.g., cleans the air
3. exposures and risks - how product use affects people and the environment, e.g., creates joy

Doing More Good – promote sustainable lifestyles by shifting messaging:

1. from individual ownership to sharing or renting e.g., plants and flowers for public
   consumption and given a gifts
2. from customer focus to external stakeholder focus e.g., plants and flowers improve the workplace, school, etc.
3. from sales orientation to an education orientation e.g., educate on the power of plants and flowers and sustainable lifestyles

Doing Different - promote sustainable systems and institutions, in addition to lifestyles and products. Promote and support social enterprises that disrupt product and consumption models as a profitable way of addressing social and environmental issues. Think Patagonia’s Don’t Buy This Jacket marketing campaign encouraging consumer to consume less.

Getting started:

It is best to concentrate on three to five strategic priorities to maximize impact of your sustainability marketing plan. (McKinsey) Here are some initiatives you may want to consider:

Energy: How much energy is used? Can you use less or adopt clean alternative sources?

Water: How much water is used and/or wasted? How can you conserve water?

Waste: What waste is produced and where does it come from? How can you reduce waste and prevent pollution?

Products & Packaging: Do your products use sustainably sourced and eco-friendly materials? How does producing your products impact the environment? Is your packaging safe for people and the planet?

Supply Chain: Are your suppliers environmentally and socially responsible? Are you sourcing products from the closest source? Are there areas to improve supply chain efficiency?

Transportation: What vehicles do you use for distribution and operations?

Community: Do you support our local communities and farms? Do you get involved in
environmental causes, events, and associations?

Employees: Do you offer employee training in sustainability? Are you creating a green culture?

Do you communicate policies company-wide?