In Cultural Forces, Environmental Positioning, Plant-based, Quick Bites, Regenerative Agriculture

Environmental positioning attributes are gaining momentum

Earlier this month, the U.N. Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity Ecosystem Services reported that one million species are at risk of extinction, due to extractive industries such as mining, agriculture and consumerism. With government policy slow to respond and even working to roll back environmental regulations, conscious entrepreneurs in the natural products industry have been using their business and product innovation as a force for good.

According to NEXT’s Concept Lab database – a collection of about 1,500 product concepts acting as a virtual marketplace to poll consumers representative of the US population on whether they would buy a product (Purchase Intent) and predict whether others will (Market Prediction) – we see that products positioned around key words like carbon sequestration, climate change, habitat biodiversity and regenerative agriculture are no longer niche, new-age or hippie terms. In fact, as the planet’s health becomes more-top-of mind with consumers, these words are becoming part of their everyday shopping lexicon.

As the chart above shows, these environmental attributes have scored near or above average (12 for Purchase Intent and 74 for Market Prediction). Average scores and scores exceeding the average (in the case of Regenerative Agriculture) indicate strong performance for what was once considered progressive positioning. Products that communicate the role soil plays in cultivating nutrient dense foods is also testing well with the general population. What’s next? Be on the lookout for other problem-solving attributes that educate today’s consumer on what tools are being used to address environmental degradation like cover crops, perennial grains, or holistic grazing.

Curious how your product concept would score before you go to market? Contact the NEXT Data & Insights team today to learn how the Concept Lab can help you better position your product for success in this dynamic and evolving consumer marketplace.