Seizing the opportunity of sustainable consumption for business, how to communicate products’ sustainability and change consumption behaviour

Effective communication on the sustainability of products is a key marketing aspect for companies. An increasing share of people are aware that their consumption has an impact on the planet, and declare they want to buy more sustainable products or go for innovative and more sustainable business models. Nevertheless, there is an important gap between declaration and action.

Why do green claims matter to companies? How consumer information can contribute to modify consumption behaviour? How can innovative and sustainable businesses engage more actively with their clients on the environmental attributes of their products?

The panelists discussed the role that the private sector needs to play in the sustainable transition and how the information they provide to consumers can change consumption patterns. The discussion also focused on the increasing role of regulation on greenwashing by presenting the European Union Directive on Empowering consumers for the green transition and its impact on misleading environmental claims. Panelists shared thoughts on how to bridge the gap between declaration and action in terms of sustainable consumption. Based on the state of the art of international research, how can communication on sustainability be more efficient?