GoJute Goes 98% Plastic Free
As a child of the eighties, I recall how consumer culture used to follow a fairly sustainable model; the products you’d buy were built to last and designed to be repairable, we’d buy fruit off the shelf in the greengrocer and meat wrapped in grease proof paper from the local butcher. I didn’t notice us slipping absentmindedly into the throwaway society of today, but it gives me great hope to see consumer demands shifting back towards ethical practices in 2023.
Growth in ethical Consumerism
“Overall, ethical consumer spending in the UK is growing. Our figures show that the value of ethical spending in the UK has increased by 2.4% in the past decade from £51bn in 2010. This figure reached £122bn in 2020, an increase of 23.7%, or £23.4bn from the previous year.”
www.ethicalconsumer.org/retailers/overview-ethical-markets-uk
This trend is predominantly driven by a growing awareness of ethical and environmental issues, but an increase in ethically-minded businesses giving consumers more buying choices is likely to be another factor. Ethical consumers are savvy too, greenwashing your company values to appeal to this market segment will do more harm than good.
Positive participation
So how does a business in 2023 put forward a genuinely ethical proposition.. and what qualifies GoJute International to spearhead this debate?
To answer these questions, we need to take a (carbon neutral!) journey back to 2006, when Cornish businessman Gary Warren created the GoJute brand. 2006 was a year when we were largely still happily over-consuming and blissfully unaware of the consequences of our behaviour, yet unbeknown to us we were on the cusp of a cultural shift.
“In 2004, Richard Thompson OBE FRS, Professor of Marine Biology and Director of the University of Plymouth’s Marine Institute, was the first to describe the long-term accumulation of, and coin the term ‘microplastics’, in his landmark paper, ‘Lost at Sea: Where Is All the Plastic?’.”
www.gov.uk/government/news/10p-bag-charge-turns-the-tide-on-plastic-waste
This problem became the inspiration behind GoJute, a company that uses ethically produced, 100% natural jute and cotton fibre to manufacture products to replace their single use plastic counterparts. Being born from a real environmental concern, GoJute pioneered a genuinely ethical business model that today, employs over 300 staff in four countries, to import raw jute from India and export quality jute products around the world in a 100% carbon-neutral way. And carbon neutrality is only part of what we are proud of, “We recycle over 99% of the refuse waste generated throughout our manufacturing and administrative process, and our products contain more than 98% biodegradable material” explains our founder, Gary.
Legislation soon followed suit.
“The 5p (bag) charge was introduced in supermarkets in 2015 and since then usage (of single use plastic carrier bags) at the main retailers has dropped by a staggering 97%.”
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/10p-bag-charge-turns-the-tide-on-plastic-waste
“From 1 October 2023 businesses must no longer supply, sell or offer certain single-use plastic items in England.”
www.gov.uk/guidance/single-use-plastics-ban-plates-bowls-trays-containers-cutlery-and-balloon-sticks
GoJute had been ahead of the trend.
But you don’t have to be an ethical innovator to tap into the ethical marketplace, there are opportunities for every business to increase their market share in this sector.
Start with an ethical audit to identify areas of your business that can operate in a more environmentally friendly way. There may be a cost implication to this, but bear in mind the consumers and stakeholders that you want to appeal to: –
“88% of consumers will be more loyal to a company that supports social or environmental issues.”
https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesnycouncil/2018/11/21/do-customers-really-care-about-your-environmental-impact
“85% of investors said they consider environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors as influential in their assessments”.
www.gartner.com/smarterwithgartner/the-esg-imperative-7-factors-for-finance-leaders-to-consider
“71% of workers consider a company’s environmental record when deciding on an employer.”
www.gallup.com/workplace/352118/environment-social-governance-reporting-perspective.aspx
And don’t forget to shout about your values! Everything from your shopfront, signage, digital content, website, your physical premises and its fixtures, products on offer and packaging, done in the right way can all help to attract and retain the ethical consumer.
We’re in this together
As brands operating within the ethical marketplace, we can see ourselves as collaborators working towards the same goal, for a cleaner and more sustainable future. That’s why GoJute are committed to utilising our 40-years of (combined) industry experience to help our customers on their ethical growth journeys.
We don’t just supply the most environmentally and socially responsible promotional products, we also provide a wealth of marketing resources to brands who buy them, to help them promote their ethical practices. Check out our creative corner for inspiration.
Plastic Free July
There has never been a better time to show your commitment to a single-use-plastic-free-future. At the time of writing, we are moving into Plastic Free July®, a global movement that encourages people to choose alternatives to single-use plastics for one month, with a view to creating permanent behavioural changes.
Show your customer what you are doing to align with this mission and encourage them to join you on the journey. The official Plastic Free July® website also provides resources to help you do this.
After all..
“Although the size of the plastic waste problem is frightening, the numbers tell us that small steps can make a big difference.”
Rebecca Prince-Ruiz, founder of Plastic Free July