"Sustainability is an emotional process"

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Anja Hasenhütl Freelance Editor,

What do consumers in Italy, Germany and the USA currently think about sustainability and what conclusions can a brand like Vileda draw from this?

Sustainable solutions for cleaning tools are not necessarily the focus of customer attention, according to the surprising conclusion of a study conducted by the Cologne-based rheingold market research institute on behalf of Freudenberg Home and Cleaning Solutions (FHCS). As a survey conducted last year among consumers in Italy, the USA and Germany revealed, concerns about cleaning performance and higher prices compared with conventional products still predominate. There are definitely regional differences, as the institute explains. In North America, for example, there is a certain historically conditioned skepticism that stems above all from times of settlement, when people had to assert themselves against an often threatening nature. Germans, on the other hand, are increasingly realizing that they have to actively do something for nature and climate protection, for example because of the flood disaster in the Ahr Valley in 2021. Italians have always been more in touch with the sea than Germans or Americans and are therefore more open to messages concerning the protection of the(ir) oceans.

The awareness towards the topic of sustainability and the certainty that I can also make a difference as an individual must mature slowly but steadily both in Europe and in the USA.

Judith Barbolini, member of the rheingold board of management

"The awareness towards the topic of sustainability and the certainty that I can also make a difference as an individual must mature slowly but steadily both in Europe and in the USA," explains Judith Barbolini, member of the rheingold board of management. "A change in behaviour is a process that has to be triggered and supported by brand communications." However, she says it is important to absolutely refrain from any form of greenwashing. "Consumers react extremely aggressively to this," Barbolini continues. “Consumers are well informed and want to see behind the curtains of green claims." Genuine efforts and openness in the company's approach to challenges are an effective way to gain the public's trust, she said. "No one believes a company is suddenly sustainable from one day to the next."

No one believes a company is suddenly sustainable from one day to the next.

Judith Barbolini, member of the rheingold board of management

To establish sustainability as an integral part of a modern lifestyle, the institute recommends continuously and step by step anchoring the benefits of green products in the emotions of the target group. Barbolini: "Color, materials, packaging – all of these subconsciously pay off in a good feeling and provide us with the certainty that environmentally conscious behavior also offers an advantage for our own lives. Sustainability comes with an impression of lightness and modernity that resonates with consumers." However, it is essential for cleaning brands that products must also hold what they promise in terms of high performance. According to Barbolini, there is currently no international brand in the cleaning tool segment that can convey this positive feeling in connection with high performance. "There are currently great opportunities here for Vileda to be among the first," the market researcher continued. "My guess is that in ten years, it will be a MUST for brands to be sustainable. Then customers worldwide will just expect it as a matter of course."