As we tell our clients, it’s all about content and making sure your story and messages resonate with your target audience.  And, there’s no doubt that consumers are looking for more from the brands they engage with.

Which is why we are pleased to find ourselves literally in the middle of a great new sustainability initiative from Midtown (our part of London) in conjunction with the Evening Standard, running a pilot project to go plastic free, focusing on single use plastic.

Midtown wants to ensure our city remains the best place in the world. Future London is a two-year campaign tackling five issues key to Londoners and the Plastic-Free Project aims to make Midtown a beacon of sustainability within London. Midtown is apparently home to 14,000 businesses, supporting 150,000 jobs and welcomes millions of tourists to its cultural attractions every year.

And it’s the local business leaders who are increasingly recognising both the social imperative and the commercial necessity of tackling climate change. As well as a positive move for the planet, this is a smart move for business. Consumer awareness and attention to environmental habits such as sustainable fashion and veganism continue to increase, and data has shown that 49% of those 24 and under have actually avoided a product or service due to its negative environmental impact*.

As consumer expectations increase, businesses need to respond by recognising the importance of implementing sustainability initiatives and highlighting these in their messaging.

This ‘sustainability movement’ can only be positive. While we have of course ditched plastic straws and sort our office waste, we are certainly looking forward to finding more local water fountains where we can refill our reusable bottles, as well as seeing a reduction in plastic and an increase in biodegradable packaging when we buy our lunches locally!

*Ethical Consumer Markets Report, 2018