Eco Pledge recognition at the Chamber of Commerce Awards!

Held at the Belfry Hotel & Spa, the glittering Awards celebrate the achievements and hard work of the local business community. The President’s Award, sponsored by Experienced Energy Solutions, was presented to Anna for their role in supporting the Chamber’s new initiative, the EcoPledge. PLOTT helped Sutton Coldfield Chamber president, Katie Hale, launch the EcoPledge at the Sutton Chamber’s Royal Business Fair back in June.  We even bought along our resident illustrator to capture the pledges on canvas and create a wonderful visual recording of the day.

Here at PLOTT, we believe environmental sustainability and conscious consumption should be at the forefront of everyone’s mind to help people and the planet. So we were obviously very keen to get involved and support this ground-breaking initiative.

Since the launch, the response has been overwhelming with local businesses pledging the differences they are going to make to reduce waste. Examples include getting rid of single-use plastic, going paperless and edible gardens – the pledges, no matter how small, show how we can make a huge difference by working together .

The Cabinet even got in touch to promote the initiative as part of their Green Week!

Supporters who popped over to PLOTT record their pledges were Jackie Smith from Smith Cooper, Julie from Sutton Coldfield Town Hall, Anita Ellis from YMCA Sutton Coldfield and Dennis Kennedy from Sutton Games.

Our own EcoPledge to reduce our impact was around paper consumption and using only carbon neutral paper, which has been very well received and supported by our clients.

As branding experts, we’ve seen a fundamental shift in the way consumers are using their purchasing power to choose environmentally friendly goods and services and make an important contribution to sustainable consumption and production – known as green purchasing.

We are passionate about helping SMEs communicate their EcoPledges and green credentials to help them gain a competitive advantage. With so many businesses offering similar services, having a genuine USP can be tough – but we know that businesses with a strong purpose, to improve the lives of people and planet, gives them something to shout about and is resonating with prospective clients, and indeed employees.

Here are a few of the takeaways from a recent Forbes survey:

• 68% of millennials bought a product with a social or environmental benefit in the past 12 months.
• 87% of consumers will have a more positive image of a company that supports social or environmental issues.
• 88% will be more loyal to a company that supports social or environmental issues.
• 87% would buy a product with a social and environmental benefit if given the opportunity.
• 92% will be more likely to trust a company that supports social or environmental issues.

So finding a purpose beyond the desire to make money is becoming very important for business if they are to stay relevant to their customers, particularly the millennial and Gen Z markets. We’re regularly helping our clients understand how they can make a difference and reshape their image to be identified as socially responsible and environmentally friendly.

With customers becoming more informed, more and more firms can practice green marketing to help improve their brand image, build loyalty and have a positive impact on their bottom line. Remember small changes make a big difference.