BRAND SHIFT 2050

A MANIFESTO FOR A NET ZERO SOCIETY

5 MINUTE READ. PUBLISHED 18 MAR 2024. UPDATED 29 JUL 2024.

CREATIVE COMMONS CC BY ELECTRO STRATEGY STUDIO. WRITTEN BY ADRIAN JARVIS.

BRANDS AS ARCHITECTS OF A MORE SUSTAINABLE FUTURE.

BRAND SHIFT 2050 IS A CALL TO ACTION. We have an imperative to build a Net Zero society by 2050, with significant progress by 2030. Resetting the trajectory of our brands through a purposeful shift towards a more sustainable, regenerative future.

A NET ZERO SOCIETY is a vision to create a society that can positively support 10 billion humans and reverse species extinction. A mission to reduce the impact of every facet of human activity — from energy production and transport to industry and agriculture — while actively contributing towards the prosperity of our planet.

Our focus is on the potential for purpose-driven brands to fuel a green economy. While the timeframe ‘should’ be accelerated to be achieved by 2030, we also need to recognise the significant challenges and investment required to achieve sustainable transformation by 2050.

From an environmental perspective, consumer consumption accounts for approximately 75% of all carbon emissions. So the very survival of the planet depends on designing brands with lower environmental footprint, which persuade people to modify their behaviour. Oxford Leadership, 2023

We also recognise that talking about planetary change is still radical. Economic interests, political polarisation, and widespread misinformation combine to create a contentious atmosphere — where advocating for lifestyle and systemic change often faces entrenched ambivalence.

There are a number of companion articles to this topic, including Designing Brands as a Force for Good and The Role of Networks in Sustainable Growth (opens in a new window).

BRAND SHIFTS AND INITIATIVES FOR CHANGE.

Described here are the three major ‘shifts’ — from initial sustainable change, through new value creation to societal transformation. The aim is to provide a starting point, with the building blocks for brand-specific journey mapping.

These initiatives are adaptable to each sector and flexible to change — moving forward or back depending on market dynamics such as demand, competition, regulation, and technology.

LEVERAGE THE ROLE OF BRANDS IN SOCIETY.

We need brands to take action because of their unique role in society and power to affect cultural change — ensuring that we can all live within our planetary boundaries.

  • 92% of consumers say they want to live a sustainable life, but only 16% are actively changing their behaviours. Kantar, 2022

  • 82% of consumers want brands to practice sustainability and embrace people-first practices. BIMA, 2023

  • 81% of investors with tolerate only a 1% or less decrease in profitability in exchange for ESG action. PwC, 2022

  • 68% of CEOs feel pressure to act on climate change from their board, customers, or regulators. Deloitte, 2023

TAKE THE FIRST STEPS TOWARDS A NET ZERO SOCIETY.

This is a call for brands to kickstart the systemic change necessary to limit climate change and protect our ecosystems. It starts with a vision for a different future, that has the power to redefine the brand narrative and path to sustainable growth.

Perhaps the fact that the people most affected by climate change are no longer some imagined future generation, but young people alive today, perhaps that will give us the impetus we need to rewrite our story, to turn this tragedy into a triumph. David Attenborough, COP26 Glasgow

Beyond carbon and waste, we need brands to reimagine their purpose and business model, while initiating partnerships that accelerate industry-wide capabilities.

  • START WITH THE CORE: ensure that current brands have a sustainable value chain through changes to sourcing, manufacturing, packaging, marketing, distribution, and waste.

  • EXPLORE ECOSYSTEMS: the interconnectedness of everything is central to discovering opportunities for advantage, collaboration, and change.

  • MAP THE JOURNEY: set science-based targets against pathways for 2030 and 2050, with a range of scenarios for achieving Net Zero.

  • DISCOVER NEW VALUE: align with goals for sustainable development, using and sharing data on what communities really need.

  • PROMOTE CIRCULAR PRACTICE: aim to design and make products that use fewer resources, last longer and effectively loop materials.

  • CAREFULLY ADOPT TECHNOLOGY: emerging tech has the potential to both help and hinder the transition to a more sustainable future.

  • IMPROVE TRANSPARENCY: report on progress to ensure accountability and action. Challenge pervasive greenwashing, especially in marketing.

BUILD ON INFLUENTIAL THINKING.

BRAND SHIFTS 2050 is rooted in landmark frameworks such as the Paris Agreement, Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Green New Deal, B Corp and Circular Economy Framework.

Large groups of people can, to a large extent, agree on what kind of futures are desirable – and what aren’t. It’s possible to build on those shared aspects, while at the same time staying open to diversity. Stockholm Resilience Centre, 2024

These initiatives are influenced by real-world projects with brands such as Unilever, Nike, IKEA, Visa and Specialized — as well as critical thinking by studios such as IDEO, Fjord, R/GA, Accept & Proceed, and Dark Matter Labs. While recognising the activism by groups such as Greenpeace and Extinction Rebellion that continues to redefine the narrative around our future.

There is a collection of influential thinking on this topic here.

GET IN TOUCH TO DISCUSS A MORE SUSTAINABLE FUTURE…

This article was written by Adrian Jarvis, who founded Electro, an independent strategy studio based in London. Adrian has 25 years experience of working with enterprises of all sizes. The principles discussed here are highly scalable from start-ups to multinationals, across a range of categories. Find out more.