1. The New
Sustainability
Narrative
Tapping into Meaning and Purpose
Innovation Workshop Report 6/4/14

2. On January 30th, 2014, Rainforest Alliance hosted a group
of innovative specialists in consumer behavior to brainstorm
a new global narrative that taps into the consumer shift towards
a broader and more meaningful set of values around mindful living
and sustainability.
Compelling information on consumer trends were presented
by experts including Tom LaForge of Coca-Cola, Chris Coulter
of GlobeScan, Chip Walker of BAV Consulting, Amy du Pon of
Havas, Carol Fitzgerald of BuzzBack Market Research, KoAnn
Skrzyniarz of Sustainable Brands, Jonah Sachs of Free Range
Studios, and Thatcher Young of ignition. Raphael Bemporad
of BBMG then led a creative ideation session that inspired the
findings in this report.
We would like to thank the presenters, attendees and the BBMG
team for their creativity and commitment, and Domtar for their
sponsorship of this report. For questions, please contact Kristen
Vissers at Rainforest Alliance, kvissers@ra.org.
A Rainforest Alliance Report Authored by: BBMG Sponsored by: Domtar

3. The Problem
The Moment of Opportunity
The New Consumer
Exploring Empathy and Tribes
The Opportunity
The Big Ideas
Takeaways
Collaboration Opportunities
Contents

4. The Problem
Sustainability doesn’t mean anything real
to consumers. Too often, it brings to mind
technical issues or seemingly insurmountable
environmental challenges.

5. The Moment of
Opportunity
At the same time, the moment is ripe for disruption.
More than ever before, consumers want to live
meaningfully and engage brands with purpose.

6. A New Consumer
is on the Rise

7. HAVAS
Consumers want brands to empower a meaningful life, and yet...
Most people would not care if
73%
of brands disappeared.
Havas Media: Meaningful Brands 2013

8. BuzzBack
They don’t connect sustainability to their own wellbeing or success
“Sustainability” =
BuzzBack: Consumer Insights on Sustainability

9. BAV Consulting
A new set of values is on the rise
66% of adults agree that the world would be
a better place if men thought more like women.
Empathy
Resilience
Respect
BAV: The Athena Doctrine

10. The Coca-Cola Company
Human & Cultural Insights
Brands must evolve to deliver on social and cultural benefits
Tom LaForge, Coca-Cola Insights
Social
&
Cultural
Cares for my wellbeing and the
wellbeing of my family
Cares for the wellbeing of my community
Cares for the wellbeing of the planet
Emotional
How I want to feel in this occasion
Functional
What the product is and does for me

11. BBMG & GlobeScan
Aspirationals unite materialism, environmentalism and cultural
influence to drive market trends
Materialism
Social and Environmental Values
25%
20%
39%
16%
Practicals
Aspirationals
Advocates
Indifferents
BBMG & GlobeScan: Rethinking Consumption: Consumers and the Future of Sustainability 2014

12. Exploring Empathy
and Tribes

13. Empathy Equals
Understanding sustainability through the eye of the beholder
Erika, Millennial Explorer
• 25, casual dater
• Loves: her dog (Rocky), volunteering at the local
animal shelter, trying out dance classes, going to
music & food festivals with her friends
• Hates: narrow-minded people, forgetting her
reusable bags when she shops
“I want to do my part by purchasing from
company’s that are making a positive difference
in the world, but I refuse to sacrifice style or
quality to do so. I expect more.”

14. Empathy Equals
Understanding sustainability through the eye of the beholder
Olivia, Mom on a Mission
• 36, married with three kids
• Loves: her job as a graphic designer, weekend arts
& crafts projects, discovering quick and healthy
options for family meals, cheering on her kids’
soccer games
• Hates: when her kids don’t eat what she makes,
feeling like an un-hip mom when she drives
her mini-van
“I am the happiest on days when my kids eat
healthy, play outside and no one has a cold. I
love it when I’ve checked off all of my to-do’s
and I still feel like a rockstar at the end of it all.”

15. Empathy Equals
Understanding sustainability through the eye of the beholder
Jake, Legacy Leaver
• 54, married with two high school kids
• Loves: walks with his wife after dinner, visiting
a new state every year, kayaking with his son on
the weekends
• Hates: people who use age as an excuse, when
he spends too much time at work and not enough
time with his family
“What I care most about is leaving a better
world for my kids than the one I inherited. I
feel most alive when I’m outside hiking or
kayaking, and I want to make sure that the next
generation can feel that same connection and
motivation to conserve our resources.”

16. Cliches
Assumptions, hackneyed
beliefs about sustainability
• Green
• Treehugger
• Hemp
• Expensive
• Complicated
• Environment
• Overwhelming
Aspirations
Hopes, dreams and
vision for sustainability
• Healthy
• Mindful
• Beautiful
• Family
• Future Generations
• Purpose
• Happiness
The Shift

17. Go Tribal
Exploring the symbols, language and rituals that shape our culture

18. The Opportunity

19. Key Innovation Pathways
Communicate sustainability in
the context of everyday life
Connect to the universal aspiration
to live a meaningful and happy life
Inspire innovation and refuse
to accept compromise
HUMAN
SCALE
JOY OF
SUSTAINABILITY
BETTER
EVERY
DAY

20. The Big Ideas
HUMAN
SCALE
JOY OF
SUSTAINABILITY
BETTER
EVERY
DAY
1000
Yarders
Radius
The Good
Collective
Bettering
Lemonade
Both
Feet In

21. Innovation Pathway:
Human Scale
Creative Concept:
Radius

22. The Radius Tribe
We are the people who
do rather than talk.

23. The Radius Mission
To live practically
and improve our
local community.

24. How Radius Works
SHARE
Friends, neighbors and community members share their
pride of place, resources, skills and goods and build a strong,
self-reliant local network for good.
CELEBRATE
Communities across the country share stories and
experiences from their local communities, learn from each
others’ efforts and help scale the local value chain.
UNITE
Local festivals bring people together to enjoy local offerings
(beer, food), make and co-create (bike repair, gardening) and
share resources (tools, home goods).

25. Radius Prototypes

26. Why Radius Works
Communicates localism on
a human scale and connects
sustainability to local people,
places and opportunities.

27. Innovation Pathway:
Joy of
Sustainability
Creative Concept:
The Good
Collective

28. The Good Collective Tribe
We are the people
who make every
moment count.

29. The Good Collective Mission
Have fun and
share the good.

30. How The Good Collective Works
DO GOOD
Digital app helps you find volunteering opportunities and community
events, learn about actions to “do good” every day, and get the tools
to host events and teach others.
FEEL GOOD
Share geo-tagged photos of your “do good” activities. Inspire others to
join the movement and be inspired as a part of an online community of
“do gooders”.
GET GOOD
Earn rewards for “do gooding” and sharing; get discounts on responsible
products and services (e.g., H&M Conscious Collection) or choose to
donate back to The Rainforest Alliance.

31. The Good Collective Prototypes

32. Why Good Collective Works
The Good Collective rewards
people for taking positive action
and creates social currency as
they join the movement.

33. Innovation Pathway:
Better
Every Day
Creative Concept:
Bettering

34. The Bettering Tribe
We are the people who
see what’s possible.

35. The Bettering Mission
To live a better life and
make every day better.

36. How Bettering Works
REMAKE
Enhance products, services and experiences to be more
sustainable (upcycle clothing, update recipes, redecorate
hotel rooms).
INFLUENCE
Share ideas and experiences with businesses in person
and on social media to generate conversation, spark even
better ideas and help improve their practices.
ENGAGE
Companies empower the “Bettering” community by
sharing specific challenges and celebrating how they’ve
incorporated ideas to deliver better products, services
and impact.

37. Bettering Prototypes

38. Why Bettering Works
Bettering recognizes that no
person or company is perfect,
but we can all take action to
be better every day; it puts
the power of innovation into
consumers’ hands.

39. Recap of Key Innovation Pathways
Communicate sustainability in
the context of everyday life
Connect to the universal aspiration
to live a meaningful and happy life
Inspire innovation and refuse
to accept compromise
HUMAN
SCALE
JOY OF
SUSTAINABILITY
BETTER
EVERY
DAY

40. Takeaways
How might brands
lead the way forward?

41. 1
Manifesto
Give them something to believe in

42. Manifesto Give them something to believe in
Holstee’s Manifesto proclaims what they stand for, inspiring 100 million downloads.
SoulCycle unites body and spirit and encourages us to “take a journey” and “find your soul” on their bicycles.

43. 2
Badge
Give them a community
to belong to

44. Badge Give them a community to belong to
The TOMS flag stands for both the one-for-one business model, a shared sense of style and the commitment
to making the world a better place.
Lyft, empowers peer to peer ride sharing by sporting disruptive and hilarious pink mustaches on participating cars.
It also encourages riders and drivers to exchange a ritual “fist-bump” when they meet.

45. 3
Megaphone
Amplify their voice
and creativity

46. Megaphone Amplify their voice and creativity
Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s hitRECord ‘open collaborative’ is a production company where
filmmakers, illustrators, writers and editors share and distribute content and ultimately,
split generated revenues (50-50) between the company and final content creators.
GE Garages invite design thinkers and makers in local communities to design and manufacture solutions together.
Participants work in labs outfitted with 3D printers inspiring, new products and technologies.

47. 4
Currency
Give them social status
and something to share

48. Currency Give them social status and something to share
Instagram drives shareable status with 100 million monthly users posting 40 million photos each day.
Upworthy unites content that is “awesome, meaningful and visual” to raise awareness about issues like
poverty, health and body image.

49. 5
Rally
Give them a platform for
participation and impact

50. Rally Give them a platform for participation and impact
The Body Shop mobilized one million customers to sign a petition that helped push the European
Union to ban animal testing in cosmetics.
Ben & Jerry’s changed the name of its popular Mint Chocolate Chunk ice cream to “Engagemint Party”
to show the company’s support for marriage equality in Ireland.

51. How Might We?

52. Affinity Marketing:
Create a unifying affinity platform for brands to engage
consumers around community, commerce and content.
Invite consumers to participate and support the movement
on their own terms.

53. Story Bank:
Build a story bank where brands and consumers can
share inspiring programs and co-created experiences.
Illuminate the joy and lifestyle that sustainability can
empower through photos and videos

54. Collaboration Toolkit:
Empower brands with a toolkit for authentic and
delightful activation. Inspire buy-in and participation
among colleagues and enable teams to collaborate
across strategy, marketing, sustainability, product
development and outside partners.

55. A Rainforest Alliance Report Authored by: BBMG Sponsored by: Domtar
Raphael Bemporad
rbemporad@bbmg.com
BBMG.com
Tensie Whelan
twhelan@ra.org
Rainforest-Alliance.org
Paige Goff
paige.goff@domtar.com
Domtar.com
Connect

56. Thank you to all of the
workshop participants!
BAV Consulting Chip Walker
BBMG Raphael Bemporad
BBMG Briana Quindazzi
Buzzback Market Research Carol Fitzgerald
Buzzback Market Research Tatiana Gormley
Coca-Cola Tom LaForge
Domtar Paige Goff
Domtar Kathy Wholley
For Impact Productions LLC Simone Pero
Free Range Studios Jonah Sachs
GlobeScan Incorporated Chris Coulter
GOOD Corps Yasmin Fodil
Havas Media Group Rori Duboff
Havas Worldwide Erin Schrode
Ignition Thatcher Young
Kruger Porducts Steven Sage
Meaningful Brands, Havas Amy du Pon
Motive Katie Harrison
Ogilvy Earth Jessica McHugh
Ogilvy Earth Tony Morain
PIPs Rewards Liza Haffenberg
Rainforest Alliance David Chrystal
Rainforest Alliance Carol Goodstein
Rainforest Alliance Jungwon Kim
Rainforest Alliance Ana Paula Tavares
Rainforest Alliance Sabrina Vigilante
Rainforest Alliance Kristen Vissers
Rainforest Alliance Tensie Whelan
Rainforest Alliance Board of Directors Wendy Gordon
Sustainable Brands KoAnn Skrzyniarz
The Guardian Jennifer Kho
The Guardian Charlie Wilkie
Unilever Jonathan Atwood
Unilever Jeremy Shen
VIEW Kevin M. Downey
Virgin Unite Diane Osgood
WeFirst Simon Mainwaring
WiT Media Kristen Earls
WiT Media Clint White