Today’s consumers are reading more than instructions — they are looking at the benefits of the product beyond its single use, and are fast becoming interested in what happens after they are done with it. This long-term thinking is what many U.S. companies are incorporating into their product design and corporate culture, and it’s defined as sustainability.   

In June, the Environmental Protection Agency further reinforced its position with the new Design for Environment program to help consumers identify products that both are good for their families and good for the environment.

As we enter into the new world of sustainability, product designers have a new challenge — creating more innovative and better products. These products can be categorized in four ways:

• Reuse — products that take a waste or by-product and make it new again.

• Reduce — products that use new manufacturing practices to reduce the consumption of raw materials or energy in the production process.

• Bio-base — products that are made of agricultural (plant, animal or marine) materials.

• Humanity or people-focused — products that are not only environmentally friendly, but also address major world issues such as water conservation or infrastructure issues.

While the challenge to design for the environment can seem daunting, it really requires companies to do one thing — think beyond themselves. In the floral industry, this practice began years ago with organically certified grown flowers. Today, it is extending beyond that with biodegradable and bio-based items.

Smithers-OASIS, as an example, is introducing products like OASIS ECOssentials, which are biodegradable/bio-based containers. Also, raw muslin, lace and other decorative items, which consist of 100 percent reused materials that have been “up-cycled” through organic dyes and a change in their presentation.

Consumers will continue to require that companies are environmentally responsible and the products they purchase affirm this. A.C. Nielsen’s June 2014 study “Doing Well by Doing Good,” (a survey of 30,000 consumers from 60 countries), shows that consumers’ concern for the environment in the products they purchase, and companies that make them, is up. Of the North American consumers surveyed, 42 percent (up 7 percent from 2011) care about the products they purchase and will pay more for these products. Of those 42 percent, the biggest concern is found in the millennial generation, followed by Generation X, where more than half are interested in the environmental impact of the product and companies that produce them, and will pay more for eco-friendly products.

Florists have a great opportunity to lead this growing consumer demand to design for the environment. They have the option to showcase naturally based, sustainable and environmentally responsible products in their floral and plant arrangements, etc.

Select growers and manufacturers have already begun the Design for Environment challenge, and the outcome is better products that are better for the environment. What’s more, as we consider how to appeal to Generation X and millennials, they have already begun to define the differences and sustainability is on the top of the list.

Jacque Sir Louis is the marketing manager, a contributor to product development, and a part of the sustainability team at Smithers-Oasis North America in Kent, OH. He can be contacted at [email protected].