Top 10 Sustainability Trends of 2009

Spending Wisely

The recession sent shock waves through the retail world and motivated shoppers to spend their limited dollars carefully.

More shoppers are doing research before they go to the store, creating shopping lists rather than buying on impulse, and screening products — including for health and sustainability.

Consumers are also looking to save money by finding more energy efficient and longer lasting products.

Transparency

From Patagonia’s supply chain transparency, to Clorox’s ingredient transparency, 2009 was a year in which more companies began to show their customers what was in and behind their products.

Country of Origin Labeling laws finally came into effect for fresh fruits and vegetables. And consumer demands for greater product transparency — particularly around where and how products are made — increased significantly.

Walmart's Sustainability

Walmart’s July announcement of a Sustainability Index deserves its own trend bullet as it was a major indicator of the mainstreaming of sustainability metrics. Walmart is clearly taking a leadership position on sustainability. The company is now pushing both the retail industry and the top brands in the world to be more transparent about the life-cycle impacts of their products.

Climate Change

From Copenhagen to international advocacy campaigns (such as 350.org) worldwide concern about climate change hit a resonant frequency this year.

“Carbon footprinting” and “carbon tracking” tools emerged all over the web, and even on some product labels, as more consumers and manufacturers discussed the need reduce carbon emissions.

Chemical Awareness

Previously obscure chemicals such as Bisphenol-A (BPA) became household topics this year as people learned about endocrine disrupting chemicals in baby bottles, Nalgene bottles, Sigg bottles, and even the liners of canned foods.

Perhaps more disturbingly is the data that came out from the government’s “body burden” studies showing that a range of problematic chemicals found in common consumer products were showing up in our bodies.

Food Sustainability

Awareness about the health and environmental impacts of food systems skyrocketed in 2009. Recalls of beef, peanuts, pistachios, and other foods kept a media spotlight on food safety.

And, growing concerns about obesity and diabetes rates in the US shone a new light on the healthiness of our most popular foods and ingredients (such as high fructose corn syrup). Mainstream publications such as Time Magazine turned “the real costs of cheap food” into cover stories.

Product Certifications

A flood of new certifications and labeling systems were released in 2009. The most controversial of these was the Smart Choices food labeling system.

This industry program was launched and withdrawn in a matter of months amid a wave of government and media questions about how products like Froot Loops could be a “smart choice” for kids’ health.

Greenwash

With growing consumer concern about the health and sustainability of products, many manufacturers responded with green marketing claims. As TerraChoice found in their bi-annual study The Seven Sins of Greenwashing, an overwhelming majority of green product claims continued to confuse or outright deceive consumers.

Mobile Information

From the iPhone to Google’s Android, the world of cell phones blew open in 2009, unleashing a new wave of mobile applications that offer consumers radically more information than they have ever had before.

Consumers can now not only access instant price comparisons, but they can also call up nutrition facts, health and environmental sustainability data on products and companies.

New Regulations

In Europe and the US, a new generation of regulations and revitalized government agencies are working to advance sustainability and consumer protections. The Obama administration has proposed major changes to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, the Food and Drug Administration, and the Environmental Protection Agency. The EU’s REACH initiative began implementation. And, state and local governments continue to be centers of innovation around sustainability regulations.