CULTIVATING SUSTAINABILITY
factor sustainability into their purchase decisions, with 44% of U.S. adults aspiring to regularly do so. Younger consumers in particular are likely to take sustainability into account. That’s a large group of consumers for whom a sustainability message might be “icing on the cake” for their purchase decision. We need to keep this in mind for not only consumers who buy Blue Diamond products off the shelf, but also for our manufacturing customers who buy Blue Diamond almonds for their own products. These customers often ask us for information that can assure them that we are helping them to meet their sustainability objectives. I should add that in some markets, consumers are more actively using sustainability as a purchase driver, while in others, less so. In our international sales and marketing, we take all these things into consideration. Sustainability Can Drive Product Sales Another recent market analysis done on behalf of the Almond Board of California (ABC) stated that between 2017 and 2022, the compounded annual growth rate of “food products marketed as sustainable” was 1.5 times that of their “conventional counterparts.” This is a simplistic summary, of course, and there is a lot more detail in the analysis about the types of claims, the certifications used, and the rates of growth for different types of products. All of this must be taken into consideration by our Blue Diamond marketing experts for each product and customer interaction we have. We are committed to exploring the best ways to use our sustainability work to maximize the returns to the growers who entrust us with their almonds. New Requirements En Route Both reports I’ve mentioned discussed the rise in governmental action on things like climate change. The Hartman report suggests that Americans are becoming more like Europeans in that they expect governments to act on issues like climate change, though they also expect private companies to play a significant role. The research done on behalf of ABC
California Senate Bills SB 253 and SB 261 will make it in Blue Diamond’s best interest to demonstrate progress in adopting climate- smart practices like Whole Orchard Recycling (pictured). Photo credit: Mel Machado
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ALMOND FACTS
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