We are
Alejandra & Julieta.
We mentor ethically-focused entrepreneurs, offer marketing consultancy to brands and help people find their purpose, live their values and make a positive impact.
Welcome to the world of conscious shopping, an ever-growing global movement making profound changes to the way we consume goods and services every single day. The environmental decline of our planet has left an indelible impression on millennial and centennial generations, who consistently choose ethical businesses over well-known, multi-national corporate companies.
Businesses understand the importance of aligning with these consumers’ needs, with big companies adding ethical, fair trade, vegan or natural options to their portfolios. Some are even acquiring small eco and/or ethically focussed brands to spearhead their new strategies.
There is so much opportunity for small-to-large businesses to find new, out-of-the-box solutions to attract conscious consumers.
This is more than a trend – this is the world we now live in. Expect to hear more about these three subjects in 2019.
If you were shocked by the image of the seahorse with its tail wrapped around a cotton bud, you’re not alone – the photo has left a profound impact on consumers around the world. If you haven’t seen it, Google it – it won’t be hard to find. It was taken by a photographer while snorkelling off the coast of Indonesia in 2016 and quickly went viral.
It has became the poster-child for plastic pollution and raised much-needed publicity about mass-market consumption and its impact on the environment. Importantly, it raised awareness of the impact of plastic, particularly single-use plastics, and its journey from rubbish bins to the oceans. Approximately eight million new pieces of plastic are washed up on shores every single day.
With plastic islands twice the size of France floating in remote parts of the North Pacific, and washed up plastic rubbish on uninhabited deserted island beaches like Saint Helena in the North Atlantic, the movement around eradicating plastics from consumption has gained significant momentum.
Zero plastics, zero waste or low waste have become more than buzzwords, they have become an opportunity for entrepreneurs to develop brands and innovation that battle the plastic problem.
Plastic-free personal care products like Ethique, a brand from New Zealand, focus on the concept of ‘bars not bottles’, offering solid bars to avoid plastic consumption.
Earth.Food.Love. is a zero-waste supermarket in the UK, encouraging people to consume in a way that ‘doesn’t cost the earth’. It sells food through reusable jars and offering products with non-plastic packaging that are compostable, reusable and ethically made.
The war on waste is in full swing, and consumers are questioning the amount and type of packaging that brands are using. This is a fantastic opportunity for entrepreneurs.
The concepts of ethical, slow and eco fashion have been gaining momentum over the years and have become mainstream. With the help of the Fashion Revolution campaign in 2017, the ethical and environmental impact of manufacturing clothes for the fast fashion industry is now at the forefront of consumers’ concerns.
Retail giants create and promote urgency to purchase more than we require. The vast majority of products are made by workers in developing countries on low wages, often working long hours or in unsafe work conditions.
Slow fashion, on the other hand, aims to create fewer but higher quality, eco-friendly and ethically sourced products, with workers paid fairly and in safe conditions. Greater appreciation is placed on each purchase, creating deeper connections with clothes and accessories instead of another short-term addition to your wardrobe.
Lyst reports a 47% increase in consumers looking for clothing with ethical and style credentials. Ethical shoe brand Veja took the number one spot in the ‘Insta brands’ ranking with fellow ethical fashion brand Nanushka in number 7 spot.
Consumers have started demanding more transparency from retailers – the hashtag #whomademyclothes, for example, has already led to significant scrutiny on social platforms. Young and emerging brands such as Know the Origin and Dutch brand Mud Jeans in particular are flourishing from a surge in interest in fashion provenance.
3. Plant-based diets
and the rise of veganism
Veganism has gone mainstream in Britain. High Street bakery Greggs caused an almighty uproar (and earned tonnes of free publicity) courtesy of their vegan sausage roll, while multi-national Unilever has rolled out vegan ice cream.
A recent study in the journal Science found avoiding meat and diary products is the biggest single way of reducing an individual’s environmental impact on the planet. Over 60% of agriculture’s global greenhouse gas emissions comes from livestock farming alone.
And as a consequence, supermarket shelves are changing, with more and more dairy and meat alternatives emerging to deliver the ever-growing demand for sustainable options. The proof is in the statistics. As of 2018, the total value of the UK plant-based market was £443 million and over $3.1 billion in the US.
The opportunities for social entrepreneurs in this space is huge. The global market of vegan cheese is expected to be worth just under $4 billion by 2024 and pea protein with $104 million by 2026.
The conscious shopping movement is here to stay. It’s not a trend, it’s a new way of living to lessen our impact on the planet and ensure all people are treated equally. It aims to slow down and eradicate the damage of our consumption.
And the corporate world has cottoned on to its potential. However, multi-nationals will need prove they’re not jumping on the bandwagon solely for profits. If consumers believe big businesses are not embracing positive change, their products will remain on the shelves.
Are you a social entrepreneur or do you have aspirations to be one?
Tell us about what’s driving you in this space!
We are
Alejandra & Julieta.
We mentor ethically-focused entrepreneurs, offer marketing consultancy to brands and help people find their purpose, live their values and make a positive impact.
Find that balance
between purpose
and profit that
you have been
looking for.
Keep it coming
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A marketing specialist dedicated to helping entrepreneurs to create or re-invent brands with positive impact on the world.
“Anyone can become an agent of social transformation. We all have the potential to be protagonists of change in our world and leave a positive impact for the new generations”.
Stay organised and dedicate time to plan the key strategies, you will have more chances of success!
Listen to consumers and learn how to adapt and make your business more flexible.
Be adaptable to change: your brand must be able to adapt to survive to the new challenges of the world “keep an open mind.”
Be courageous, take initiative and be a leader. Do not be a spectator, be encouraged to generate the changes that the world needs!
Design your brand with a multiple-territorial approach in mind.
Be an ambassador for your purpose-driven brand.
Find the purpose of your brand
A passionate entrepreneur and marketing strategist dedicated to help you to convert your sustainable business idea into a successful reality. Do something that improves the lives of others, create your own movement.Define an authentic brand purpose and your business will thrive.Think success. Trust yourself. Visualise your goals.Be curious, perseverant and resilient.Adapt to change. Challenge yourself. Take risks.Stay organised and dedicate time to plan the key strategies, you will have more chances of success!Listen to consumers and learn how to adapt and make your business more flexible.Be adaptable to change: your brand must be able to adapt to survive to the new challenges of the world “keep an open mind.” Be courageous, take initiative and be a leader. Do not be a spectator, be encouraged to generate the changes that the world needs!Design your brand with a multiple-territorial approach in mind.Be an ambassador for your purpose-driven brand.Find the purpose of your brandDo something that improves the lives of others, create your own movement.Define an authentic brand purpose and your business will thrive.Think success. Trust yourself. Visualise your goals.Be curious, perseverant and resilient.Adapt to change. Challenge yourself. Take risks.
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