Green Marketing, Not Greenwashing!

The other day, I encountered an advertisement for Mout Cider on television. The add simply highlighted three compelling aspects: a fully recyclable glass bottle, the cider’s vegan status, and the company’s partnership with World Wildlife Fund that protects endangered species. While lounging at home, this ad struck a chord and I thought to myself ‘ well that sounds like a nice cider’—not for its taste or the fruits used, but for its commitment to sustainability. These highlighted features instantly aligned with my values.

Aligning your business values with customer expectations

In today’s rapidly evolving society, consumers demand that companies adopt new mindsets towards environmental sustainability. This shift presents a significant opportunity for businesses willing to embrace change and actively promote their efforts towards climate change mitigation and planetary protection.

The impact of Mout Cider's ad was so profound that it compelled me to visit their website the next morning. Unfortunately, the message from the advertisement was not as prominent on their website, but I did read the story of how the company was born and they do have a good story, so kudos to them.

What is Greenwashing? 

One of the risks with such promotional strategies is the accusation of greenwashing, a term increasingly used to describe companies that superficially claim to be green purely for marketing and PR reasons. For hospitality owners, aligning with your customers' environmental concerns is key, not just for staying relevant but for being genuinely engaged in the movement towards sustainability. Being green is not just a trend, I suspect it is here to stay.

Look at the next generation of customers, the children of today that are protesting climate change. I met a hotel manager last week and he told me his daughters gets furious if she sees plastic in their house. Another contact sent me a message about the #SaucyChallenge, sharing that her son now refuses to use individually wrapped sauces when eating out. How do you think those children will react to your business when they become paying customers at your business a few years from now? These anecdotes highlight the emerging consumer attitudes that will define the future market.

Inaction is no longer an option.

We all must reconsider our resource usage—energy, water, waste production—and take proactive steps toward a greener industry. The journey always seems too steep to climb when you are looking at it from the starting point at the bottom of the mountain. But everything is easier if you only concentrate on the next 10 metres, breaking the journey into small, immediately achievable steps.

Setting a long term goal and developing an action plan are the first couple steps. Define how you want your business to be positioned in the next 3 years, what are you going to tackle first? Your waste production? Abolishing single use plastics? Energy reduction? The choice is yours. Select one area and excel in it before moving on to the next. That is how you will successfully green your business, and once you have achieved these milestones, shout it from the rooftops! Tell your customers, tell the press, tell the world. Don’t be afraid to say you are only at the start of the journey “Here is what I have done, and here is what we are aiming to do”. There is no shame on admitting we are not perfect, that your business is not perfect. What it means is that you are aware of it, and you have a plan to improve.

To all hospitality managers I would like to leave you with one thing: take a hard look at your utilities. Whether it's addressing food waste, water usage, or plastic use, take charge and make impactful changes. Start your Green Journey today because, as my Grandpa used to say, "don’t leave for tomorrow the things you can do today."

For more insights on reducing food waste, download our guide on the 10 Principles of Food Waste Reduction or explore our Online Training Courses to start greening your business today.

The FSG Team. 💚