Does sustainability start and end with the product?
Can creativity be a tool to drive change? These are some of the questions we have asked ourselves as an agency recently.
Over the past decade there has been a real push from manufacturers and brands to create more sustainable and eco-friendly products. This has been, in part driven by a more conscious and aware end consumer. When we buy products we are looking at the impact our personal choices have on the environment and this can be a key driver in our decision making. This has been a positive shift in consumer mentality that has helped drive a step change in the way brands are making and marketing products. Success!
Mixed In amongst the positive stories have been some very blatant attempts at ‘Green Washing’ but with everyone of us being more aware of these marketing techniques, few campaigns rarely escape criticism and campaigns like the one below from Toyota are becoming less regular.
Toyota cars with a classic greenwash campaign
In the outdoor sports industry we have some incredible initiatives from brands such as adidas, Five Ten, Patagonia, Finisterre, Picture clothing and more. Organisations and not for profit groups like Protect Our Winters, WWF and Trash Free Trails (see below for links to online resources) are driving a wider step change in our attitudes to the outdoors. But should the sustainability start and end with the product?
With over a decade of experience in the industry we have to acknowledge that some of the practices we have been using to create content, develop campaigns and market products have had an impact on the world we live in. From 100’s of long haul flights to gas guzzling vehicles, international air freight, extravagant meals and client entertainment, to promotional materials and 1000’s single use plastic bottles. The processes and methods we use to market products leaves a footprint just like the product itself.
WorkWith Studios End Plastic Waste campaign for Adidas 5.10
I have have been on a personal sustainability journey which has led to many changes in my life but when it came to work I often said ‘this is just how we do it’. But sustainability does not start and end with the product, it can be incorporated into every aspect of the way we work. Our recent work for adidas Five Ten forced us to get creative to ensure that the marketing process held true to the product we were developing a campaign around. In the same way we are becoming more conscious in our personal lives about the products and brands we work with, the same can be done in our professional lives. Beyond creating sustainable products we can have a huge impact by addressing some of the ways we work everyday.
WorkWith Studios is on a mission to incorporate this attitude into how we work with our clients. We do not believe that sustainability starts and ends with product, and this not just limited to when we are working with specific sustainable products. This attitude is engrained into the fabric of how we work. Not every brand has access to the latest technologies and manufacturing techniques to create innovative product. However our role as a partner agency is to demonstrate how we can create more sustainable working practices when delivering our core services for our clients. Here are some of the steps & initiatives we are taking for our business and our clients:
Working with local creative talent to reduce the need for travel
Aligning local creative talent with local brand ambassadors/athletes to reduce travel
Limiting the need to air freight products around the world, using local distributors or allowing more time to use alternative methods
Limiting the need for single use and printed materials in campaigns and when they are required using sustainable partners
Building a company infrastructure that allows for 100% remote working
When travel is required, finding the most carbon efficient method possible and off setting emissions through other initiatives
Aligning brands with organisations and not for profits to help them better understand how they can improve their internal sustainability initiatives
We believe that as a partner to our clients it is a shared responsibility to look at how we can protect our environment and preserve the nature that gave birth to the sports we love. This is something that we are passionate about. The sports and culture that we love and that our business thrives on, were created in the outdoors. It is our responsibility to help preserve and better it for future generations.
At WorkWith Studios we firmly believe that creativity is a tool to drive change and with every one of our clients, campaigns and projects there is an opportunity to get creative in a way that has a positive impact on our environment. Our business is not perfect but by acknowledging that our business plays a role, we can better support out clients.
Brewdog ‘Make Earth Great Again’ - the brand continues to push it’s environmental agenda whilst using it to get creative with it’s product and marketing.
Are you looking to understand how you or your organisation can do more? Want to get creative with a sustainable approach to your next project or possibly understand which organisations can support you with the right tools? Get in touch today with adam@workwithstudios.com
Below we have listed some links to great information and online tools:
Protect Our Winters - Educational materials
Trash Free Trails - State Of Our Trails Report
WWF ‘My FootPrint App’ - Discover the simple steps you can make in your personal life
