A 2021 report by ‘Changing Markets Foundation’, investigated clothing products from major high-street fashion brands to check the truthfulness of their sustainability claims. The report found that 60% of the overall subjects of the investigation were not accurate in the data they presented with one very well-known global brand reportedly having up to 96% of their sustainability claims in doubt. This is a problem that is not only confined to the fashion industry, but also in the food, cosmetic and other industries that use sustainability as a branding tool. Brands know that these claims can attract socially conscious consumers to buy their products, even if their claims are not always true or fully transparent.
Such practices are called greenwashing, and it’s a major problem enabled by lack of supply chain visibility that consumers could easily access. Greenwashing can cause a chain reaction that affects multiple verticals in and outside of the market, namely:
1. Donation claims that are never or partially fulfilled
2. Carbon footprint that is never or partially reduced
3. Recycling activities that are never or partially conducted
And many more inappropriate or questionable practices that tarnish a brands reputation and affects consumer trust.
According to FMI–The Food Industry Association and NielsenIQ, nearly two-thirds of grocery shoppers would switch to brands that disclose more than just ingredients and nutritional information. They demand a deeper transparency, something that brands actually already have internally, which is their supply chain data. Yet, this data is often not easy to be disclosed, due to technical boundaries or budget constraints that make it difficult for small to medium enterprises to provide visibility to their customers.
Gratitude, an EU based startup is striving to lower the barrier of entry for brands that want to share the story of their products to their customers with the power of blockchain technology. Other than cryptocurrencies, blockchain technology, which is essentially a decentralized and transparent tamper proof ledger, can be implemented as a track and trace tool that is extremely accurate to record event data.
Gratitude uses blockchain on its supply chain visibility solution that has been customized with an easy to use webapp that businesses can simply register on via more-gratitude.com, record their supply chain data on the blockchain and setup a beautiful landing page that can be printed via a QR Codes. These QR codes are added to a product, where the end customer can simply scan and read the accurate story behind their favorite products.
With Gratitude, brands will have lower barriers to entry because the solution is easy to set up, does not need technical knowledge to set up and is much more affordable compared to corporate visibility supply chain solutions from the likes of SAP. Now socially focused and sustainable SMEs can cater to their consumers that are concerned by big brand greenwashing.
Gratitude has onboarded a number companies who have started their journey to true transparency through marketing communications and supply chain visibility and brand awareness. Here are some of the brands and sites of those mission based companies that are staying true to their beliefs by integrating Gratitude:
Carpate diem – Wine company with a family tradition whose wine is suitable even for histamine intolerant customers. Their aim is to use modern technology to reflect current trends in winery and to stay connected with nature.
Souma Leather – The brand is owned by two brothers (Marek and Martin Souček) who design and produce original leather products of high quality in Brno in Czech Republic.
Vcelobal – Natural beeswax wraps for groceries, which are handmade in Slovakia. They are reusable, ecological and compostable, and they keep the food fresh. The beeswax is antibacterial and antimycotic.
Slusitito – Fashion brand that produces handmade skirts which are supposed to emphasize feminine energy, bring more joy and inspire us to compliment ourselves and each other more.
Pure Nuts – Two friends who exchanged their corporate jobs for a creative business and were the first to bring quality peanut butter to Slovakia. They also produce their own cookies and coconut bars. Their name refers to what everybody was telling them before starting a business – that being successful in selling their own peanut butter is crazy.
Fiero Wine – A small family business that produces wine, which has won several winery awards. The grapes are grown their own wineries.
Savon – A small brand that produces organic beauty products. They are handmade from quality ingredients and herbs from their own gardens from which the brand produces its own extracts. They protect the environment by not using palm oil and preferring solely ecological packages or zero-waste products.
Slowlandia – their production is based on following principles: slowness, thoroughness, quality, sustainability, tradition and health. Their nut creams are based on their own recipes. Thanks to their repeated success at international competition Great Taste Awards the brand became the most successful Slovak food business in history. They were also successful at the most prestigious global competition of chocolate products – International Chocolate Awards.
Horamy – Slovak producer of flannel shirts from certified cotton. Their ambition is to make quality products that support local textile production and protect the environment.
Isadore – The brand produces sports clothing for cycling. It’s designed and manufactured based on the experiences of former professional cyclists. Their clothing is sustainable and it is supposed solve all the problems of cyclists and improve their experience from sport.
Essen The Label – A brand that upholds sustainable values and produces a collection of shoes that are aesthetically beautiful, supremely comfortable and ethically made. ESSEN was founded as a response to a fast fashion cycle. Therefore, their ambition is to minimize waste, their footprint and over-production, and to use the resources smarter. They are invested in making sure their craft is compensated accordingly, and are invested in giving continuous, well-paid work.
Bonoobo – They produce coffee made from Bio coffee grains of high quality, traditional ayurvedic plants and amino acids. Each type of coffee has its own health benefits, e.g. strengthening the immune system, increasing energy, good mood, antioxidative effect.
Nu3o – They produce healthy lattes from certified organic ingredients which are suitable for vegans and vegetarians. Their beverages don’t contain caffeine and lactose.
Jovinecky – The famous influencer in Slovakia, Jovinečko, wasn’t satisfied with dark chocolate he found in stores, so he created a partnership with producers of raw cakes. Soon they created a new type of chocolate called Jovinečky. The chocolate bars are made from quality natural ingredients.
Doraz – The brand produces coffee of high quality. Their origin is connected to the ambition to provide low-cost bike courier service in the Slovak city Košice. The essence of the first project, as well as the following ones, is to provide classic services in an authentic way. Nowadays they focus more on providing complex coffee service.
Voir Store – The brand was founded by two young men who love jewelries, clothes and art. Since they longed to create something of their own, their business idea was created during the late night hours at bars after their work. Nowadays they sell clothes that are uniquely designed by artists, paintings and jewelry.
Herbarium – The founder of the brand aims to use the healing power of herbs to create fresh handmade products from quality organic ingredients while upholding zero-waste principles.
More businesses are shifting to this new paradigm and catering to socially, environmentally and health conscious consumers.
Integrate Gratitude to your business. Talk to Gratitude representatives or visit us to learn more:
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Country: Slovakia
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