Sustainability Reports as a Marketing Tool

To succeed in a competitive industry, ag producers have to have an “operational” mindset; to meet the needs of feeding a growing world, not to mention their own operations, they must have a singular focus on production. A byproduct of that focus is that they are not accustomed to hearing – or understanding – consumers’ needs and demands.

So when they hear that consumers are demanding “sustainable” agriculture, it’s no surprise that many growers don’t quite get the hubbub. To farmers, farming is the most sustainable industry. After all, farmers constantly adopt practices that won’t harm their most valuable asset: the land. How is that not sustainable practice?

While this may be the case, consumers are often far removed from the farm. Fewer than 2 percent of Americans are engaged in agriculture, so the consumers who demand “sustainable” foodstuffs may have have no understanding or knowledge about modern agriculture. The disconnect between growers’ thoughts and consumers’ wants is a growing problem in the industry.

Desire for “sustainable” isn’t going away

Consumer interest in food (from recipes to dining experiences to policy about factors impacting nutrition and availability) is at an all-time high; consumers read blogs, they follow famous “foodies” on Twitter. This is especially true in the huge and influential millennial generation, a group whose impact on every industry cannot be overlooked. If millennials want something, brands have almost no choice but to provide it or face their wrath. Whether it’s true or not, these consumers think they’re knowledgeable. And they increasingly value food that’s produced “sustainably.” A 2014 survey reported in Sustainable Brands found that 77 percent of consumers say that sustainability was a factor in purchasing decisions. Furthermore, 89 percent say that they’re willing to pay more to “eat local.”

Those are incredibly large portions of an audience, and tapping into their wants and desires can be a boon to everyone in the food-production industry, from distributors and marketers all the way back to the growers. But how do you tap into that vein of eager, “green” blood?

You tell the audience what sustainable is, and how you provide it

This audience does not hesitate to ask questions, and those questions often focus on production practices, sustainability claims and verification. No matter where you are in the food chain, you should be able to provide that info, and it helps to provide it up front and willingly. Transparency without being asked for transparency is a great way to build trust with an audience that has an increasing number of options.

But even transparency can be complicated, because it’s often unclear on what to be transparent about.

Players across the food system haven’t yet agreed on an overarching definition of “sustainability.” It’s like the terms “organic” and “green.” What do they mean? People think they know what they mean, but do they really? It’s up to you to control the narrative. You do this by being up front. No matter where you are in the supply chain, you can provide consumers with the information they need (or think they need) to satisfy what they think they want.

Producers are busy producing, so it’s on processors and retailers to help verify that sustainable practices were used at various points in their own supply chain. There are quite a few organizations in the food system that provide these sustainability tools. Examples include:

Field to Market Alliance, who says that they’re “Uniting the supply chain to ensure sustainable outcomes for agriculture.” The Alliance provides a “Fieldprint calculator” for farmers as well as additional scorecards for use by others across the supply chain. The Alliance believes that farmers benefit from using the most accepted sustainability benchmarks and shouldn’t have to complete multiple, competing surveys. The calculator “helps improve practices while increasing opportunities to do business with companies committed to sourcing sustainably.” Their words, but good words!

Field Rise, an organization founded for farmers by farmers, uses university researchers to create and provide voluntary online questionnaires that ask crop-specific or whole-farm questions. The information then goes to farmers’ organizations; according to Field Rise, “food companies can draw from association data to show their customers that their supply chain is on the right track.”

These are just two of the organizations and tools out there that help farmers easily report sustainability, which lets those farther along the food stream (YOU) talk to the audience in the language they need to hear. Putting forth an effort in this area accomplishes a few things:

• It takes the heat off the producers. They can focus on feeding the world without worrying about what the world needs to hear.
• It helps market your brand or product. If growers have an easy way to track their sustainability efforts and tell you about them, you can then turn that information into marketing tactics. Control the narrative; tell consumers what they need to hear in the way they want to hear it.

It’s up to those downstream to talk to the audience, because those doing the real work are too busy doing the real work. And why wouldn’t we want to control those messages? As long as “sustainable” remains a vague and undefined term, we can define it in the way that meets the needs of everyone.

Let Woodruff Sweitzer help connect sustainability to your marketing.