The sustainable link between consumers and companies

At a time when social responsibility is gaining more and more strength in the relationship between companies and society, consumers have been looking for brands, products and services that are identified with their ideologies. Therefore, companies that opt ​​for policies with positive social and environmental impacts attract new consumers and retain them.

A good demonstration of this relationship between consumers and companies is a recent survey by the Fiep System, which shows that 87% of Brazilians prefer to buy products and services from sustainable companies.

An interesting case of this practice is in the daily actions of Campo Largo, a traditional healthy drinks brand, which has just won the B Company seal – granted to a select group of global companies that aim at social and environmental development as a business model.

This indicator can be the starting point for many companies to adapt to new consumer habits. If we use as an example organizations in the beverage sector, which deal with large quantities of fruit for the production of juices, there are several points that can be crucial towards habits that impact the environment in a positive way.

Family farming, in addition to contributing to local employability, can place hundreds or even thousands of families in the production chain. At this point, to be successful, it is essential that producers undergo constant technical monitoring, as in addition to understanding how all stages work, whether from planting to harvesting, they would also have the opportunity to understand more about business expansion and, also, about the good environmental practices.

Another important point is the efficiency gained from the reuse of raw materials. In this case, peels, pomace, seeds and fruit stems can be used, instead of being discarded. Orange pomace, for example, contains nutrients that can serve as a complement to animal feed for livestock – which also benefits the livestock sector. Grape stems, on the other hand, are rich in nitrogen. These inputs can be transformed into natural organic fertilizer and reused in the next production cycle, providing savings, in addition to environmental advantages, such as the creation of essential macronutrients for plant growth.

Co-processing solid waste is another practice capable of having fewer environmental impacts, as can working together with recycling cooperatives, which reuse the equivalent volume of all packaging used in the company.

However, even with all these practices and concern for the environment, it is important to practice the exercise of “looking inside”. To be sustainable and, at the same time, deliver quality products to the market, it is necessary to pay attention to what employees and stakeholders think - fundamental parts in this process. This is how, in recent years, many companies have realized that the more transparency they provide to employees, the greater the chances of boosting productivity, results and profits.

Finally, the set of all these procedures are capable of making a company a reference in sustainable practices that end up positively impacting the environment, society, employees, market and, consequently, the end consumer.