Sustainability & the Consumer

Insight & Opinion Piece.

Right now, I’m wearing a ‘The North Face (TNF) fleece’.

It’s a recycled fleece. I knew that when I purchased it, in fact that’s why I purchased it. But to me, it was a ‘TNF Recycled Fleece’ and that’s where the story began and ended. So why am I telling you this?

Only since our work with Polartec began in summer 2023, have I become more curious about what actually makes a brand’s sustainable garment, sustainable. I’ve been wearing this fleece for years... I discovered the little ‘Polartec Recycled’ label hidden away a couple of months ago. I now know how and why, the fleece has a sustainable story.

Fast forward to the Christmas break just passed. I’m hiking in the lakes with my brother-in-law. I’m wearing the aforementioned TNF fleece and he asks ‘is that recycled, is it made sustainably?’ To which, now reliably educated, I replied yes ‘It’s made with Polartec.’ Now yeah he’s younger, healthier, taller... yada’yada... But more importantly, a conscientious consumer. It dawned on me that I was talking to our vital demographic. Young, enthusiastic and fully, and totally bought in to sustainable living.

So here’s the thing. That personal account is a microcosm of the bigger picture. It reflects current and future consumer trends. Our research team at Mynt has data continues to back this up. In this case, insight gathered based on a consumer survey carried out by independent market research agency YouGov, Deloitte were able to conclude from their 2023 survey What consumers need in order to adopt a more sustainable lifestyle ‘... more than half of consumers (surveyed) stated that the commitment of businesses to climate change and sustainability can influence their trust in them.’ Moreover, ‘Consumers want businesses and institutions to take the lead in supporting them in their environmentally sustainable habits.’ Whilst affordability can be a barrier, when we look at the statistics around What consumers care about (vs what they need) we also see that one in four consumers are prepared to pay more for sustainability.

In short, consumers are making decisions based on sustainable commitments, and they want the brands they choose to take the lead in supporting their personal sustainability habits. To appeal to these consumers, brands have, and continue to be guilty of green-washing. To that I say Polartec have in-fact been guilty of ‘green-concealing’ - see our other article on Green Washing here.

The brands who are synonymous with sustainability and environmental commitments are those seen to be practicing what they preach. The fact is that the product stories they are preaching are often provided by Polartec. Yes they are B2C brands, yes, they are our partners, and our clients. But these brands need to tell a sustainable story, so we give them one. If we aren’t going beyond for our planet, no-one is. For Polartec to become truly a B2B2C success then we need to become part of the cultural conversation too.

To do so, we must become part of the end consumer's decision making process. Take for example how Gore-Tex has become a byword for Waterproof. Want to buy a waterproof? The question is not ‘which brand is waterproof?’ The question is ‘which brand or product is made with Gore-Tex?’

I Imagine a world where Polartec becomes a by word for sustainability; the ‘trust’ factor that end-consumers are looking for, to support their personal sustainable habits. ‘I want to buy sustainably... OK, which brand is made with Polartec?’

My point here is, if Polartec can become synonymous with sustainable practice at the point of the end consumer, If we can communicate our innovations, our practices - our culture at a brand level, then there is no reason why the conscientious end consumer won’t actively seek out the brands who are ‘Made With Polartec.’

To find out more about our work with Polartec, and to see how we're injecting emotion and storytelling into the brand from strategy & positioning through to brand design and asset creation, click here.