Water and energy are essential resources for agriculture and food and beverage (F&B) businesses. However, they are also becoming increasingly scarce and costly due to population growth, climate change, and environmental degradation. How can you use your water and energy conservation efforts as a means to improve your branding and attract more customers? Here are some tips and examples.
1. Showcase your sustainability goals and achievements
One way to enhance your branding is to communicate your sustainability goals and achievements to your customers and stakeholders. You can use various channels, such as your website, social media, packaging, labels, reports and certifications, to showcase how you are saving water and energy in your production processes, products and services. For example, you can highlight how much water and energy you have saved compared to the industry average, or how you are using renewable energy sources or water-efficient irrigation systems.
2. Educate your customers about the water-food-energy nexus
Another way to improve your branding is to educate your customers about the water-food-energy nexus, which is the interconnection between water, food and energy in sustainable development. You can explain how water is used to produce food and energy, how food production and energy generation affect water quality and quantity, and how water scarcity and pollution threaten food security and energy access. You can also share how your business is contributing to the sustainable management of the nexus by reducing water and energy consumption, improving water and energy efficiency, protecting ecosystems and promoting green infrastructure.
3. Partner with other organizations that share your vision
A third way to boost your branding is to partner with other organizations that share your vision of water and energy conservation in agriculture and F&B business. You can collaborate with NGOs, research institutes, government agencies, industry associations, suppliers, distributors or customers that are working on similar or complementary initiatives. For example, you can join or support programs that promote water-smart agriculture, drip irrigation, precision farming, circular economy or climate resilience. You can also participate in events, campaigns or awards that recognize or reward your efforts.
In 2023, there are various corporations and SMEs that already practice such efforts. Here are some examples of businesses that have successfully used their water and energy conservation efforts as a means to improve their branding:
- Bayer
The global life science company has developed digital tools that help farmers conserve water and energy by providing real-time information on precipitation, soil moisture, crop health and irrigation needs. Bayer also collaborates with Netafim and BGN Technologies to offer DripByDrip irrigation, which applies water and crop protection products precisely and directly to the plants, reducing the amounts of fertilizers and other resources used.
2. Unilever
The multinational consumer goods company has set ambitious targets to halve its water footprint by 2030 and achieve net zero emissions from its products by 2039. Unilever also supports farmers in adopting sustainable agricultural practices that save water and energy, such as rainwater harvesting, drip irrigation, mulching and agroforestry. Unilever communicates its sustainability goals and achievements through its website, reports, labels and campaigns.
3. Starbucks
The global coffee company has committed to conserve water and energy in its operations by installing efficient equipment, implementing best practices and monitoring performance. Starbucks also works with farmers to improve their water and energy management through its Coffee and Farmer Equity (C.A.F.E.) Practices program, which provides guidelines, training and incentives. Starbucks educates its customers about the water-food-energy nexus through its website, social media and packaging.
Water and energy conservation in agriculture and F&B business is not only good for the environment, but also good for your branding. By showcasing your sustainability goals and achievements, educating your customers about the nexus, and partnering with other organizations that share your vision, you can enhance your reputation, differentiate yourself from competitors, increase customer loyalty and create value for your business.
Regardless of your business sizes, SME can also still reaps the benefit of showcasing water and energy conservation effort. But it has to be done in a smart way by using smart tool weaved into their marketing. Tool such as Gratitude. Gratitude enables businesses to become transparent by being powered by blockchain technology, with easy-to-use tools to record their supply chain, narrate the story, verify on blockchain and present the data in a beautiful landing page that can be issued via Gratitude’s QR Code or URL that can be placed on a physical product or embedded on digital marketing campaign or label. With this QR code, brands can put in place localized material or descriptions of their product so that the product can quickly hit the shelves while the full localization in progress. Customers can then simply scan the QR codes placed on the product or click the link on a digital campaign and clearly see the product’s journey, verify sustainability claims, or even company and brand stories that the company wants to reveal to the customer in language that they are familiar with.
Begin your business’ true transparency journey by implementing Gratitude to unlock the hidden value of your supply chain data. Talk to our representatives via the following channels for support or assistance in implementation:
Website : https://more-gratitude.com
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