CASE STUDY: Driving sustainable consumption in Latin America with better product information and design
The United Nations Environment Programme’s (UNEP) Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean, the Consumer Information Programme of the One Planet network, and the University of Los Andes (Colombia), with the support from the European Commission developed a series of case studies to promote better communication on sustainability between companies and towards consumers through the adoption of the Guidelines for Providing Product Sustainability Information. The aim of the case studies is to support the companies to comply with the fundamental and aspirational principles of the Guidelines, to effectively communicate their sustainability claims, and to disseminate successful communication practices.
The case studies were developed as an activity of the project “Driving sustainable consumption in Latin America with better product information and design” (ICSAL), carried out by UNEP and funded by the European Union.
The lack of reliable information on sustainability aspects across products’ life cycles hinders informed decision making and perpetuates unsustainable consumption. Therefore, access to reliable sustainability information is one of the essential conditions for the shift towards Sustainable Consumption and Production patterns.
Thus, the project aims to have an impact on the drivers of consumer behaviour related to marketing influence and the availability of more sustainable products, fostering sustainable consumption and production. The overall goal is to support governments, private sector and other stakeholders in the implementation of policies and practices that lead to improvement in product´s design and product sustainability information and increase consumer awareness to support sustainable lifestyles in Latin America and the Caribbean. The project is being implemented in Colombia, Costa Rica and México.
Four case studies from Colombia are being published at this stage, available in English and in Spanish:
- Alquería , dairy company founded in 1959 in Colombia.
- Cordillera, located in Colombia and part of the Nutresa group. It operates in the chocolate sector, specializing in the production of foods derived from cocoa.
- Tosh, part of the Nutresa Group, it operates in Colombia and Costa Rica and offers eight categories of products (biscuits, bars, cereals, nuts, snacks, ice cream, infusions, and dairy products) in 29 countries.
- Flowers Aurora, Colombian family company that produces and exports roses, carnations, and mini carnations in the business-to-business (B2B) market. It has certifications from FlorVerde and Rainforest Alliance.
Cases studies from Costa Rica and Mexico will be published in the following months.
Access all our case studies on the Guidelines for Providing Product Sustainability Information on the Product Sustainability Information Hub
Learn more about the ICSAL project
Access the “Guidelines for Providing Product Sustainability Information” to learn about the ten principles for credible sustainability communication
