Market Overview

Consumer activation toward sustainability is happening now! Recent market studies confirm that 31% of consumers are “Aware” of the plastic and single use packaging issues, and more importantly, 34% of consumers are “Activated”, meaning they are making purchasing decisions in part based on a product, brands, or retailer’s commitment to sustainability. Overall, 65% of consumers are actually more aware and more concerned with ocean plastic waste versus 58% concerned with climate change!

Today, consumers want to know what brands, retailers and manufacturers are doing with respect to plastic sustainability, and more than 50% have actually altered their purchasing decisions toward products that meet their needs while demonstrating sustainability and social purpose.

Through collaborative, connected, and transparent circular economies, GearedforGreen works with brands, retailers, manufacturers and their supply chains to help brands develop and then fully implement Circular Economy & Sustainability initiatives.

Market Challenge

Often, the biggest challenge is creating a brand sustainability roadmap, determining how to get started down the path of building a sustainable brand. Brands generally ask, “Should we first focus on our own internal operations? How do we implement social sustainability initiatives? When should we begin external consumer messaging, and how do we best collaborate with retail and supply chain partners?”

A Circular Economy, by definition, requires significant collaboration among all key stakeholders that are both internal to your organization and operations and external in your supply chain, including consumers. This breadth of internal and external execution, and the numerous products and supply chain partners this involves, can often be a paralyzing roadblock to brand owners that are initiating an effective Circular Economy strategy. While there is no cookie-cutter or one-size-fits-all strategy that can be taken off the shelf and put in practice, there are proven pathways to sustainable implementation.

Once you get started, brands must be careful to:

• Ensure that your sustainability roadmap is strategic, collaborative, connected and most importantly – effective.
• Focus on economic, environmental, and social brand value.
• Communicate effectively and transparently, to both internal and external stakeholders, to verify what is truly being accomplished and to avoid “Green-Washing from incorrect sustainability claims.

GFG Circular Economy Solutions

Utilizing more than 30 years of Circular Economy Sustainability Strategy and Execution, GearedforGreen Circular Economy® works closely with brand owners to develop and implement their sustainability roadmaps while overcoming roadblocks:

• Key focus across Environmental, Economic, Social, and Strategic Value
• Internal focus on Products and Manufacturing, Supply Chain Collaboration, Recycling and Waste management, Raw Material, and Packaging Design.
• External focus on Brand Value and Sustainability Messaging, End-of-life recyclability, and Social Sustainability Partnerships and impact on Brand Awareness.

We help brands embrace Circular Economy concepts, embed circular organizational culture that recognize the positive, long-term strategic impact on overall Business Strategy, Brand Development and Organizational Development.

Essential Elements

GearedforGreen Circular Economy® fully implements collaborative and transparent Circular Economy Partnerships to create strategic, long-term and committed sustainability solutions for brands via:

• De-risking the end-of-life recycling supply chain by creating diversified and closed loop markets that ensure transparent chain of custody recycling verification.
• Create supply and demand balance to ensure that consistent and/or cyclical needs are met by matching the supply of waste plastic materials to diverse markets, allowing plastic waste to move readily into sustainable, strategic end-market solutions
• Secure the supply of sustainable raw materials for brands seeking to incorporate “recycled content” into their products as part of their corporate sustainability initiatives

Drive social sustainable awareness and strengthen relationships among manufacturers, brands, retailers and “activated” consumers.