Given how quickly the news cycle turns over, you might’ve already moved on from Greta Thunberg’s speech at the U.N.’s Climate Change Summit. The 16-year-old Swedish environmental activist addressed attendees of the summit back on September 23rd, resulting in both praise and outrage around the world.
You can read the full transcript here, but the tone of her speech could be described as stern, angry, and emotional. She shared her unrest regarding our underwhelming collective goal to reduce global emissions by 50% in 10 years, urging that that’s not good enough.
“Fifty percent may be acceptable to you. But those numbers do not include tipping points, most feedback loops, additional warming hidden by toxic air pollution or the aspects of equity and climate justice,” Thunberg explained, “They also rely on my generation sucking hundreds of billions of tons of your CO2 out of the air with technologies that barely exist.”
Many heard these as fighting words, and I’m here to confirm that that’s exactly what they are. And perhaps that’s exactly what we need. We need people who are willing to stand up and fight against issues that damage us. I think many people had such a strong, angry reaction – not only because of a political divide, but because she personifies the underlying tension of a generational gap that already exists. People are angry and scared and there’s comfort in the false sense of contentment once we can aim at something or someone.
Greta Thunberg represents the voice of a generation who feels trapped and betrayed by those before them. While not every young person feels as strongly as she (and of course, there are also young people with completely different thoughts on the subject), this issue is not going away, and these concerns should not be ridiculed. Regardless of where we each personally fall on the issue, there’s an undeniable truth that it currently is and will continue to affect our industry and livelihood. Here are the two major lessons we can learn as it relates to the promotional product industry:
Sustainability is not a passing trend, but rather, on its way to becoming the new normal.
It’s undeniable that climate change, sustainability, and social responsibly are important to the Millenial and Gen Z groups. According to a Yale University article, “70% of adults aged 18 to 34 say they worry about global warming compared to 56% of those aged 55 or older.”
So, what does this mean for our business? If it’s relevant to young buyers, our focus must shift to meet these demands in the future. Perhaps it’s time to reassess operations, adjust supply chain, and develop clear goals for improving sustainability. Customers will increasingly seek and respond to efforts like a corporate social responsibility report, clean energy plans and promotional products that are not only made of recycled materials, but also encourage sustainable behaviors.
What’s uplifting, is that while there is a discrepancy in how these age groups value sustainability, the numbers show that the gap isn’t nearly as big as it feels at times. This doesn’t need to be a polarizing issue – no matter one’s political stance, this is an issue we can all get behind together.
Outrage is not the wise response.
When a customer shares a concern with us, it’s our job to listen, understand, and execute creative problem solving. That’s the value a successful sales and marketing expert brings to the table. While there are plenty of scenarios where we might feel initial confusion, anger or frustration, emotional intelligence will almost always serve us well when tensions run high. It’s undeniable that the most successful among us are the ones who do everything they can to understand someone’s perspective before reacting.
We also need to address that our industry will continue to take heat because we sell “trinkets and trash” or that “it’s time to stop spending billions on cheap conference swag”. Much like the negative uproar from many of Thunberg’s critics, we’ve experienced a taste of this animosity within our own industry. The bottom line is that the torch and pitchfork response is the wrong one. When we lash out against those who accuse us of malpractice, we inadvertently incriminate ourselves. Before we can change perceptions, we must first work to understand them. We need to approach objections to the use of promotional products with thoughtfulness, flexibility and an open mind. Rather than pick a fight, we can instead advocate for the undeniable good that promo can do to raise awareness, reduce waste, and promote healthy behaviors. We simply need to add strategy and understanding to the equation.
Personally, what makes this industry so exciting is that it promises to never stop changing – it will never stop evolving to meet the needs of our customers and market. The beauty is that regardless of the seemingly divided society we live in, we are a part of in the most connected, diverse, and open-minded society that has ever existed, and change is attainable.
Thunberg closed her speech in saying, "We will not let you get away with this. Right here, right now is where we draw the line. The world is waking up. And change is coming, whether you like it or not.”
If the promotional products industry (an others) embrace the normalcy of sustainability and empower ourselves to approach opposition with critical thinking and purpose in mind, not only can we better understand the changing market ahead, but truly make a positive impact on the world around us.
Taylor Borst is head of communications and public relations for American Solutions for Business. Joining the print and promo industry in 2015, she specializes in social media, promotional products, and supplier relations. Taylor is currently a Sous Chef with PromoKitchen, on the Networking Committee for PPAI SPARK and is an advocate for education and youth involvement in the industry. Connect with her on Instagram and LinkedIn.