A coalition of leading global brands launched Brands for Good, a movement to make sustainable living easier and more rewarding for people around the world. Founding partners on the cutting edge of sustainability, innovation and marketing in the food & beverage, consumer goods & lifestyle, retail and technology industries have agreed to harness their brand reach, resources and influence to make the Good Life more attractive, attainable and sustainable.

Founding partners of Brands for Good include Dentsu Aegis Network, National Geographic, Nestlé Waters, PepsiCo, Procter & Gamble, SAP SuccessFactors, SC Johnson, Target and Visa. Additional organizations have also joined the #BrandsforGood movement as affiliate partners, including the Association of National Advertisers (ANA), EY, Futerra, Global Citizen, Porter Novelli and WeSpire. Brands interested in joining the movement can learn more at https://sbbrandsforgood.com/.

Sustainable Brands Founder and CEO KoAnn Vikoren Skrzyniarz and Procter & Gamble Chief Brand Officer Marc Pritchard joined representatives of the founding partner companies at SB’19 Detroit, where together they launched Brands for Good and announced three initial commitments by the partners to be a force for growth and a force for good:

  1. Embed environmental and social purpose into the heart of its brand promise, products, and experiences;
  2. Use marketing, communications, and brand influence to make sustainable living accessible, aspirational, and rewarding; and
  3. Work together to transform the field of marketing to shift behaviors and drive positive impact with people, communities, and the planet we share.

According to research conducted by Sustainable Brands in partnership with Harris Poll in 2017, a majority of consumers today want to live a more sustainable life and purchase products that support a more sustainable future. In fact, the most important element of the Good Life ranked by consumers was “balance, simplicity, and wellness” at 36 percent followed by “connections to family, community, and the environment” at 28 percent, with “money and status” at only 26 percent and “personal achievement through academics and career” at only 10 percent.

“Research has clearly demonstrated that people want to adopt more sustainable lifestyles and achieve their own version of the Good Life; however, they often feel lost on how to accomplish a significant shift in their own lives. Brands for Good will serve as a resource to help them achieve their goals and understand the direct impact their behavior can have on reducing climate change, protecting our natural resources and ensuring a more inclusive and resilient society,” said KoAnn Vikoren Skrzyniarz, Founder and CEO of Sustainable Brands. “Brands for Good’s work is more than the ‘right thing’ to do. Consumers tell us they will follow and reward brands who lead with more delightful products and experiences, more meaningful relationships and more measurable actions that help them live better today and create a more sustainable future for all.”

The foundation of Brands for Good was first laid in 2018 with a preliminary focus on developing deeper research and tools for marketers to drive market shift. The official 2019 launch moves the program a step forward, with founding partners pledging their commitment to making sustainable lifestyles more attainable by leveraging the collective power of brand marketing, and employee and consumer engagement, to make actionable, sustainable practices more mainstream.

“As a founding partner of Brands for Good, we want our brands to be a force for good by promoting sustainable behaviors, habits and lifestyles,” said Marc Pritchard, Chief Brand Officer, Procter & Gamble.   “We want our brands to make it easy for people to responsibly consume products and to offer them sustainable innovations and solutions that help make their lives better now and for generations to come.”

One of the first steps for the Brands for Good coalition following SB’19 Detroit will be to produce a Lifestyle Transformation Roadmap. The Roadmap will identify a select number of impactful sustainable behaviors and offer detailed guidance, tools and resources to help the public make more sustainable lifestyle choices.

“There’s power in driving a social shift, and the commitment of these global brands demonstrates their pledge to making meaningful and measurable lifestyle changes for consumers. We are hopeful for a future where more brands stand against environmental degradation and social inequities, and ultimately deliver positive impact on improved health, happiness, and the wellbeing of the planet and society at large,” Vikoren Skrzyniarz added. “We look forward to many more brands joining the Brands for Good movement from here.”

Brands for Good founding partners commented:

“It’s clear that people want brands to help them live more sustainably. This means that there is a business case, as well as a moral case, for action. As an industry we have a tremendous opportunity to influence and make positive change, so that people feel inspired and empowered to take part in creating a better future for our society. Not only is it the right thing to do, being a force for good can be an aspirational, exciting and motivating choice for consumers.” – Tim Andree, Executive Chairman & CEO, Dentsu Aegis Network.

“For more than 131 years, National Geographic has been propelled by a sense of purpose, a value of exploration, and a motivation that we can make a difference in the world by helping audiences better understand it, and in turn, care more about it. Through Brands for Good, we are excited to expand our efforts to drive positive impact for people, communities and the planet we share. Collaboration is the only way we can make a marked difference on some of these big issues the planet is facing, and we are looking forward to collaborating with this tribe of like-minded brands using their power to build a sustainable future.” – Jill Cress, Chief Marketing and Communications Officer at National Geographic Partners.

“We at Nestlé Waters North America embrace the opportunity and responsibility to help enable sustainable living and a waste-free future for our consumers,” said Yumiko Clevenger-Lee, Vice President & CMO, Nestlé Waters North America. “We are transitioning the entire Poland Spring® Brand still water line to 100% recycled plastic bottles by 2022*. This is proof that recycling works, and we hope it inspires our consumers to join us on this journey by recycling their bottles. We look forward to collaborating with other industry leaders to help realize the vision of #BrandsforGood.”

*Bottles under 1-gallon size will be made with 100% recycled plastic; labels and caps are recyclable, but not made with recycled material.

“As part of PepsiCo’s next chapter, we’re working to help build a more sustainable food system. Through our support for farmers, work on water security, and our efforts to reduce the environmental impact of our packaging and produce more permissible products across our portfolio of world-class brands, we’re striving to change the way the world produces, distributes and consumes food and beverages for the better. The Brands for Good initiative is an important partner in this effort, and we are proud to work with them to help consumers adopt more sustainable behaviors and live better lives.” – Jon Banner, Executive Vice President, Global Communications & President, PepsiCo Foundation.

“We are excited to help Sustainable Brands launch phase two of Brands for Good. We’re supporting this initiative as a founding partner because we believe progress has to be made not only in our consumer choices but in the day-to-day experience of employees. By providing new technology tools for engagement, and by forging partnerships with visionary organizations like Sustainable Brands, SAP SuccessFactors along with HR leaders everywhere are leading the employee engagement aspect of this initiative and helping companies tap into the energy of their employees. We are spearheading employee engagement for Brands for Good because we believe that truly engaged employees are effective brand ambassadors and the key to achieving employer brand advocacy at scale. We are proud to help Brands for Good lay the foundation for a healthier, more inclusive world.” – Kirsten Allegri Williams, CMO, SAP SuccessFactors.

“We’re so proud to be among the founding partners of Brands for Good. After decades of work on environmental and sustainability goals, we know how much progress has been made by businesses and consumers. But we also realize the challenges to maintaining and improving our environment require collaboration across business sectors. Brands for Good can help make that a reality.” – Kelly M. Semrau, Senior Vice President – Global Corporate Affairs, Communication & Sustainability, SC Johnson.

“Target is proud to be a founding member of Brands for Good as we’re committed to operating a sustainable business and using our resources responsibly – from products to packaging – to help better serve our guests for generations to come,” said Rick Gomez, chief marketing and digital officer, Target. “We look forward to being a part of this work and helping accelerate the shift toward sustainable living.”

“As a company committed to helping people and economies to thrive, we are proud to join this initiative to make sustainable living easier and more attainable, for everyone everywhere,” said Douglas Sabo, Visa’s Head of Global Corporate Responsibility & Sustainability. “Through Brands for Good, we aim to stand together with a growing global movement of brands working toward a sustainable, inclusive future.”