November 8, 2017, New York, NY Allergy Standards’ Vice President of Sales, Courtney Sunna, attended an event organised by the Good Housekeeping Institute and Made Safe in New York City. The event focused on how company efforts toward more sustainable and healthier products leads to success. Courtney met sustainability leaders, innovators, and even Dr. Mehmet Oz, who led a discussion on The Health Case for Making Green Choices, and also took part in several panel discussions such as ‘Healthy Products, Healthy People, Healthy Planet.’
“Raising the Green Bar brought together companies and individuals who share a common goal to create healthier products. Consumer education is key; if we can collectively reward brands and manufacturers by buying products which are safer for people and better for the environment, it will drive demand and cause companies to rethink the ingredients that are in their products.” Courtney Sunna, ASL’s VP of Sales
Authenticity, Transparency & Reliability
A recent study on over 20,000 people across 5 countries by Unilever showed that one third of consumers worldwide are choosing to purchase more sustainable products. There is a huge market for companies to take part in this movement, but it first requires companies to have earned the trust of their customers. In fact, authenticity, transparency & reliability have been found to be the values that people care about the most when they buy a product. As much as claims are important for customers, those claims need to be reliable and trustworthy. Brand loyalty comes from making claims that the product is not harmful but, most importantly, from honoring that promise. The market in this area is huge for manufacturers, but it is primordial for companies to make their claim credentials clear and validated by third party certification marks.
“All of our data shows that companies that are doing the right thing are actually outperforming the ones that are not,” says Pedram Shojai, Urban Monk, Bestselling Author, The Art of Stopping Time, & Film Producer, Prosperity.
Do the Right Thing
To make sure that manufacturer packaging claims are reliable, companies should avoid making claims that cannot be substantiated by science, as consumers are sceptical and distrustful of brands. As advised by Randy Shaheen, attorney at Venable LLP, one option is to work with third party seals that are more objective and reasonable, rather than self-certifying, as it is easier for companies to communicate to their customers that their product claims are reliable by having them independently verified. As explained by Cate Vanegas, Director of Marketing at Bona, the asthma & allergy friendly®® Certification Program helps Bona communicate to their consumers that the company takes their health claims seriously.
“There is overwhelming evidence to suggest that third party certifications are valued by consumers. Companies which are not looking to independent certifiers to validate their claims are missing out on an opportunity to create impact, brand loyalty, and contribute to this important conversation.” Courtney Sunna, ASL’s VP of Sales
