National digital campaign #Belabelwise promoting sustainable lifestyles and education - collaboration of the Power of You (POY) Partnership featuring four ethical labels incl Fairtrade South Africa, Fair Trade Tourism, Marine Stewardship Council, Forestry

Published on February 13, 2018

In a demand-driven economy it is consumer demand that drives sustainable consumption and that demand in turn requires consumer education for the resultant behavioral change. Fair Trade Tourism therefore - along with its relevant partners; aims to deliver campaigning mechanisms such as online communications, experiential marketing and product promotions. Changes in consumer awareness and behavior is to be tracked through annual market research. The #Belabelwise campaign is the result of a Power of You (POY) Partnership between four ethical labels including Fairtrade South Africa, Fair Trade Tourism, Marine Stewardship Council and the Forestry Stewardship Council. Collateral include digital media in the form of film and posters with channels including an interactive website, several online social platforms and 'handles'. In this campaign, the consumer is asked or rather challenged with the question...'how labelwise are you"? The aim is to educate the consumer on why ethical labelling is necessary not only as a framework for sustainable production but also provides the consumer with the power to actively participate in how products and services are produced and consumed. The involvement of the different labels gave this 'call to action' more credibility. Campaign collateral consists of a sustainable lifestyle website, videos, digital posters and website display banners. Implementation of the campaign has unfolded across tried and tested channels including: social media activations, television and radio interviews etc. .

#Belabelwise is It is the first of its kind and has been very well received – with a merit certification from the global Eco-Innovation Awards. It is an excellent illustration of both the success and necessity of ethical labels to pool resources in collectively raising consumer awareness and fostering sustainable behavioral change. The Consumer Market Research delivered in partnership with the Belgian Technical Corporation (2017) indicated that South African Consumers do not yet grasp what the concept of 'sustainability' is and how to engage with it – especially from a consumer-awareness perspective. Overall, majority of the respondents would like to find out more about Fairtrade and when given the definition, only three in ten report that it was in line with what they already knew about Fairtrade. After hearing the definition of Fairtrade, half of the people reportedly felt motivated to purchase products that are Fairtrade certified and four in ten said it aligned with their personal values. It was envisioned to deliver a second installment of the campaign in 2017/18 but unfortunately Fairtrade South Africa dissolved. It was planned that the #Belabelwise website will hold tool/s such as a Sustainable Public Procurement (SPP) guidelines, pledges and forums to keep supports engaged and informed. Although cited as a 10 YFP priority and commitment by the SA Government; there is currently no national consumer education campaign that explicitly promotes SCP apart from Labelwise. This fact alone should motivate for its continued delivery which Fair Trade Tourism now hope to lead.