Sustainable Marketing
Photo Credit: Erik Zünder via Unsplash and IOC/Lina Taylor (with permission)
I distinctly remember the 6'11" frame of Kevin Garnett towering over, listening carefully to the Olympic volunteer, who had stopped him to explain exactly where he should place the items from his food tray in the multitude of recycling bins at the Olympic Village cafeteria in Sydney.
"Take the foil off completely," the friendly Australian-accented voice went on, "the foil goes into this container; now scoop out the remaining butter - it goes into the food waste container; and the plastic goes into the plastic recycling container."
It was the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games, the Dream Team was making their run for the gold medal, and most of us athletes required a lot of hand-holding in the simple act of putting our food trays back after we had finished eating. I was competing in my 1st Olympic Games together with my sister in beach volleyball, after a whirlwind qualification run, in which we climbed 50 spots in the world ranking in just two months to claim the final spot in Sydney.
One of the unexpected things that has stayed with me to this day is the fact that the host country, Australia, went to great lengths to educate athletes, coaches, and officials about sustainability, recycling, and reducing waste. After only two and a half weeks, there were nearly 12,000 highly visible sustainability ambassadors, versed in practices they could now share with people back home.
Sustainability Marketing from Stanford University Graduate School of Business
Turns out, it was one of the best investments of time and energy to educate influencers on the benefits of sustainability, as was explained to me by the King Philanthropies Professor of Marketing at Stanford University Graduate School of Business, Jonathan Levav as part of the Sustainability Strategies program I am currently completing at Stanford.
The problem companies grapple with is closing the intention-action gap, where 65% of consumers say they want to support businesses with a strong sustainability commitment, yet only 26% actually reward companies for it.
This is where SHIFTing pro-environmental behaviors through choice architecture is cutting edge marketing because it combines insights from behavioral science, data analysis, and technology to strategically influence individuals' decisions and shift behavior towards more sustainable choices.
Choice architecture refers to the strategic design of the decision-making environment to influence people's choices. In simpler terms, Professor Levav explained, pointing to an example Snoop Dog provided the marketing industry, make it so easy to choose the right thing, that it's a no-brainer!
There are five potential psychological routes to shifting sustainable behavior, reflected in the acronym SHIFT as described in the work of White, K., Habib, R., & Hardisty, D. J. (2019). How to SHIFT Consumer Behaviors to be More Sustainable: A Literature Review and Guiding Framework. Journal of Marketing, 83(3), 22–49.
Social influence, Habit formation, Individual self, Feelings and cognition, Tangibility. The Kevin Garnett story with all of the other #Olympians falls into the category of using Social influence to shift societal norms. "Consumers are often impacted by the presence, behaviors, and expectations of others."
"Social factors are one of the most influential factors in terms of effecting sustainable consumer behavior change."
Why does this matter, especially to big corporations? Deloitte surveyed more than 2,000 C-suite executives (CxOs) across 24 countries (see the report here) and found that despite the significant challenges global executives faced over the last year - ranging from economic uncertainty, geopolitical conflict, supply chain disruptions, and talent shortages, - concern over climate change continues to be a top priority for CxOs and their organizations.
I believe that athletes - because of their ubiquitousness and social appeal to the broader population in pretty much any country under the sun - are uniquely positioned to help close the gap between corporate net-zero ambitions and consumer behavior that drives real change. And it's not just the big names, on the contrary...
Highlighting Unlikely Influencers
The following examples of athletes using their voices to elevate sustainability practices are not traditional, but could prove even more effective.
Please meet: a mermaid, a walk-on, a naturalized-Italian female hockey player, and an Olympic discus thrower.
Photo Credit: Merle Liivand
Executive Competencies: influence and persuasion, leadership, strategic thinking, and innovation.
Merle Liivand is a real-life mermaid. The Estonian native holds 5 Guinness World Records, setting her latest one on April 15th, 2023, when she swam 50 KM (31.13 miles ) with a mermaid monofin, without using her arms for a full stroke. It took 14 hours and 15 minutes to complete the challenge and while doing it, the mermaid personally pulled out of the water a total of 20 pounds of waste and her team collected another 15 pounds! The EARTHDAY.ORG ambassador does these "crazy distance swims to bring attention to our oceans and climate, and especially the #microplastics problem in our environment."
Photo Credit: Riley Bahr
Executive Competencies: problem-solving, resilience and adaptability, decision-making.
Riley Bahr walked on the Florida State University's track and field team, proving herself worthy of a scholarship and even earning the True Seminole Award, which recognizes student-athletes who rise from humble beginnings to excellence. In addition, Riley is completing her M.S. Social and Sustainable Enterprises at Florida State University - Jim Moran College of Entrepreneurship, working with the Resilient Infrastructure and Disaster Response Center (RIDER) at on researching methane reduction initiatives.
Jacquie Pierri - Photo by the Dave Holland/CWHL
Executive Competencies: change-management, financial acumen, strategic networking, innovation.
Jacquie Pierri is a pro hockey player, graduate of Brown University, who also completed a double-degree Masters of Engineering, specializing in sustainable energy system and innovation. Her sport, passion for climate action and the environment, coupled with her scientific background, make her uniquely-qualified to speak on tough-to-breach subjects, like finding sustainable ways to cool our arenas.
Photo Credit: The Associated Press
Executive Competencies: decision-making, risk management, financial acumen, cultural and emotional intelligence.
Samuel Mattis - Oly graduated from The Wharton School with a degree in Finance and OPIM (Operations and Information Management). After he turned down a full-time offer from JPMorgan Chase & Co., Sam competed at the Tokyo Olympic Games, qualifying for the coveted final and becoming the highest-placing American discus thrower since 2004. Deeply passionate about sustainability and social justice, Sam is a marketing strategist with a keen eye on matching the financial bottom line with societal well-being.
What do all these athletes have in common? They just completed the Climate Executive Accelerator I taught together with my colleagues at Climate Executive Coaching, giving me the chance to get to know each one of them better. They are also EcoAthletes Champions. These athletes already possess a myriad of valuable skills they've learned through sports and their upbringing but the Climate Executive Accelerator allows them to connect and develop these qualities as specific executive competencies, characteristic of great corporate leaders.
In conclusion
These examples of athletes closing the sustainability gap through their passion, education, and actions hold the key to unlocking one variable to reach corporate net-zero targets.
How can your organization tap into the social influence power and executive capabilities of athletes? Here are some resources:
Athlete365 is an International Olympic Committee – IOC initiative working side by side with corporate partners, like Allianz and Deloitte, to provide athletes with tools that go beyond sport.
The Green Sports Alliance summit at The Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle highlights innovative ways the sports industry addresses sustainability together with corporate partners. Co-founded by Global Optimism and Amazon, The Climate Pledge invites the world's biggest companies to be the planet's turning point, and join the pledge to urgent action.