CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY REPORT 2009
‘Playing our part’ means sustaining a responsible business, with progressive brands and dedicated people to help us deliver our corporate responsibility commitments now and in the future.
Our consumers
Our core purpose is to create and build brands that delight consumers, always. But the world has changed since the 1930s when the British Vitamin Company invented a method of bottling fruit juice without preservatives to help people get enough vitamin C! So what do people want from us today?
Of the four key trends that continue to shape the market (health and wellbeing, indulgence, convenience and ethical and environmental concerns), two have particular relevance for our corporate responsibility programme:
Healthy lifestyles
While the recession has led many of us to re-evaluate our consumption habits, health remains a priority. A recent survey showed that 66% of consumers intend to improve their health over the next 12 months1.
Health and wellbeing increasingly mean different things to different people. Consumers want products to meet specific health needs – whether that be low-calorie, more natural ingredients or added benefits such as vitamins. Three trends within health and wellbeing are emerging:
- Naturalness
- Functional benefits (something added)
- Diet (something removed)
Health and wellbeing continues to drive our industry as we look to cater for a range of health concerns. Our commitment to providing healthy choices is now coupled with a need to offer value to consumers as they tighten their purse strings. At Britvic, we’ve recognised this need by boosting some of our biggest household names with more healthy choices at good value.
The ethical and environmental agenda
Notwithstanding the economic downturn, the big issues haven’t gone away. Ethical consumerism, or the demand for products with ethical credentials, is still strong. Last year, total ethical spend on consumer goods was up 15%2
Consumers may want value through a recession, but not at the cost of their values. Our research and third party studies back this up:
- Analysis of ‘green’ product spend shows that consumption fell between October and December 2008, but is now rising again.
- 64% of consumers surveyed in November 2008 wanted to know if the packaging on their purchase was recyclable.3
- In January 2009, 46% of consumers said Fairtrade was important in deciding which food and drink products to purchase.4
- 55% of consumers globally are prepared to pay more in a recession for a brand that supports a good cause they believe in.5
A comparison of these statistics with similar studies in 2007 shows that consumers show no signs of abandoning their interest in these issues. Our values and direction have not changed, despite the uncertain financial climate.
‘Playing our Part’ means sustaining a responsible business, with progressive brands and dedicated people to help us deliver our corporate responsibility commitments now and in the future.
1Source: The Futures Company – Opportunities for the Beverage Category in an economic downturn - Feb 09
2Source: Co-operative Report 2008
3Source: Ipsos Mori
4Source: Mintel Oxygen
5Source: Edelman Consumer Study October 2008