Families should not have to choose between sustainable or affordable, says Dean Tollman, CEO of leading UK baby brand Vital Baby. With the urgency for businesses to reduce their impact on the environment coupled with a rising consumer demand for eco-friendly products, Tollman believes that sustainability premiums have become outdated.
Despite cost-of-living pressures, nine in ten consumers are prioritising sustainability in their buying practices with 80% willing to pay more for sustainably produced or sourced goods, according to research. In fact, some consumers are prepared to pay on average 9.7% more for such products. However, Tollman, whose firm has just launched its new range of recyclable everyday baby products that biodegrade in landfill conditions, believes that consumers should not be picking up the bill for making sustainable choices.
He says: “Retailers, like all business sectors, have a duty to do their bit to respond to the climate emergency but this should not be used as an excuse to charge a premium. Even if a portion of consumers are prepared to spend more, it makes sustainable products more exclusive and disincentivises those shoppers who would like to ‘buy eco’ but cannot absorb the additional cost.
“The baby sector is a great example of the unrealistic price gap. Some brands use the sustainability label in a way akin to high-end fashion brands and charge upwards of £16 – and much more – for one baby plate, or the equivalent of £4 per baby spoon, in a market where both these items are readily available at £1 each, and less. Quality and safety are paramount in this sector, but these do not need to be compromised for retailers to be realistic about what the average family can afford. Parents shouldn’t be forced to make the decision between being environmentally responsible or cost savvy.”
Tollman acknowledges that more sustainable products often involve higher production costs in terms of materials used and manufacturing processes. However, to encourage the trend for more sustainable shopping habits, he believes that retailers need to lead the way and be prepared to shoulder at least some of this expense to find a middle ground. For example, Vital Baby’s new range of everyday baby products incorporates its proprietary EarthSmart technology, the first of its kind, and is the result of over three years of intensive research and development and rigorous testing by the company. Nonetheless, the firm has kept its price point low and absorbed the cost of this investment.
“We need to encourage more people to shop responsibly and making eco products more affordable will ultimately help retailers’ bottom line because it will bring more consumers to the market rather than price out the majority of families. Enhanced brand loyalty is another benefit, so it’s a win-win,” adds Tollman.
Whilst Vital Baby’s range can be extensively reused and then recycled, estimates suggest that only around 9% of all plastic is recycled across the globe each year. The majority goes straight to landfill. This is why the firm developed EarthSmart, which means that if their products are mismanaged at end of life and end up in landfill, they will biodegrade within five years, leaving no microplastics, according to calculations based on independent anaerobic biodegradation testing standards for plastic materials (ASTM D5511 and ISO15985), which indicate degradation of over 90% over this time period.
- Dean Tollman