Why Promote Sustainability?

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Marketing Examples

Marketing Publications

Visit our publications library for materials on the Rainforest Alliance Certified difference and value of the green frog seal.

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The Rainforest Alliance Certified™ Seal on Packaging

A showcase of product packaging that features the Rainforest Alliance Certified™ Seal. View the slide show »

Consumer awareness of the Rainforest Alliance and demand for environmentally and socially responsible goods is at an all time high. As a business working with the Rainforest Alliance, you have the opportunity to promote your commitment to sustainability by using and promoting our trustmarks. See these examples of how other companies have leveraged the green frog seal and the following research, which may help shape your marketing strategy.

Consumer Awareness of the Rainforest Alliance

In the United States, 39 percent of those surveyed recognize the Rainforest Alliance Certified™ green frog seal, 30 percent understand what the certification means and 23 percent indicated they are more likely to buy a product that carries the Rainforest Alliance Certified seal. Source: Natural Marketing Institute, 2012 Global LOHAS Consumer Trends Database®
In the United States, 38 percent of coffee drinkers are aware of Rainforest Alliance certification.
Source: National Coffee Association’s 2010 National Coffee Drinking Trends Study
In Canada, 34 percent of coffee drinkers recognize the Rainforest Alliance Certified™ seal, a 10 percent increase from 2008. Source: Coffee Association of Canada, 2010 Consumption Study
In the United Kingdom and Ireland, consumer awareness of Rainforest Alliance doubled in just one year, going from 27 percent in 2008 to 54 percent in 2009.
In 2011, 39 percent of consumers in Germany recognized the Rainforest Alliance Certified green frog seal, a 4 percent increase from 2010. Source: TNS Emnid.
In Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Finland, Rainforest Alliance has reached 44 percent awareness.
In Australia, 42 percent of consumers reported awareness of the Rainforest Alliance Certified seal in 2009, an eight percent increase over 2008.
The Rainforest Alliance was ranked one of the top two most recognized and trustworthy labels in a survey of travelers from Belgium, France, Germany, Sweden, the UK and the US. Source: TUI Travel PLC’s Sustainability Survey 2010.

** Unless otherwise noted, research conducted by businesses working with the Rainforest Alliance.

Increasing Consumer Demand for Sustainable Goods

72 percent of global consumers would recommend a brand that supports a good cause over one that doesn’t, a 39 percent increase since 2008. Source: Goodpurpose, 2012
71 percent of US consumers are now aligning their spending with their values… “The most successful companies will respond to this shift by adopting a business model in which all three parties -- the business, the customer, and the community -- win in every transaction.” Source: Spend Shift: How the Post-Crisis Values Revolution Is Changing the Way We Buy, Sell, and Live by John Gerzema and Michael D'Antonio
75 percent of global sustainability experts say independently verified sustainability labels have an influence on personal choice. Source: GlobeScan Sustainability Survey, 2011
“No longer confined to just customers, employees, and investors, publics of all stripes are now corporate stakeholders: environmentalists, educators, and children -- even the unborn.” Source: The New Rules of Green Marketing: Strategies, Tools, and Inspiration for Sustainable Branding by Jacquelyn A. Ottman
In the United States, 84 percent of consumers have purchased sustainable food or drink in the past month. Source: Mintel, Sustainable Food and Drink, United States, August 2010
Even during an economic downtrend, 34 percent of consumers in the United States indicate they are more likely to buy environmentally responsible products today, and another 44 percent indicate their environmental shopping habits have not changed as a result of the economy. Source: 2009 Cone Consumer Environmental Survey
In the United States, 54 percent of shoppers interviewed consider sustainability to be one of their decision making factors and are “leaning green.” Source: Grocery Manufacturers Association & Deloitte, Green Shopper Study, 2009
“For most shoppers sustainable considerations become a tie-breaker when other factors are in relative parity. Because of this effect, sustainability characteristics drive a relatively large amount of product switching.” Source: Grocery Manufacturers Association & Deloitte, Green Shopper Study, 2009
GMA/Deloitte researchers found that “green shoppers are still on a learning curve. They do not always understand the social and environmental benefits and they need help at the point of purchase… and the rate of green purchase was very sensitive to the use of in-store communication and information.” Source: Grocery Manufacturers Association & Deloitte, Green Shopper Study, 2009