2019 Forecast – Responsible to the Environment
Sustainability through Human Behavior Change
Put politics aside, and one discovers a collective growing concern for our environment and the impact climate change is having on our planet. You would think this wouldn’t be new news, but the alarm is blaring with more natural disasters, hitting the warmest temperatures on record, the artic sea ice breaking for the first time, and so on. In the last year, media has brought heightened awareness to such issues. Take National Geographic’s spotlight on plastic in its June 2018 issue, sparking a firestorm that’s resulted in straws of all things becoming a villain product. There’s been heightened involvement with young people and others taking a stand, such as with the July 2018 Zero Hour Climate March founded by teenager Jamie Margolin. And there’s been heightened responsibility in industries that are big culprits, such as in the fashion, beauty, and energy industries (e.g., Fashion and Future Tech Lab, Spain’s Ecoalf, Beauty Brand Kevin Murphy, Clean Energy Investment Fund).
Yet, one area that still demands attention is dealing with us humans and the behavior change we need to make to save the planet. According to Ford’s 2019 Trend report, more people across the globe believe, “Environmental progress will depend more on changes in human behavior than on technology,” than believe “Environmental progress will depend on technology.” While both may be true, human behavior change is believed to trump technology.
What does it mean?
Businesses and brands will need to continue to take the lead, while governments lag. However, legislation may be a necessarily tool, as many business leaders have come to realize. And we all need to participate. Companies and governments can help humans make the right choices and realize the power and impact in doing so.
The Industry Forecast:
Be a leader for addressing global environmental challenges, and help consumers make the right choices for the benefit of our society and planet.
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The Agency Oneto is a disciplined yet agile business and brand strategy agency whose mission is to partner with leaders to make a positive impact on their business and brands and for their consumers and teams, unlocking potential.
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