Sustainable Promotion at the PoS

© STI

© STI

© ViriPack

© ViriPack

© ViriPack

View large image in photo gallery

How do manufacturers of promotional displays adapt to consumers’ increasing awareness of sustainable consumption? Because sustainability is not only just a trend but a question of ecological and social responsibility.

Promotion at PoS is a good and important thing - this much we know. However, how do manufacturers of promotional displays adapt to consumers’ increasing awareness of sustainable consumption? Because sustainability is not only just a trend but a question of ecological and social responsibility.

Promotion measures at the point of sale are of great importance for retailers and the consumer goods industry. The product, the reason and the concept must be consistent and suitable themes include seasonal or focal occasions like Easter, Christmas, BBQs or the World Cup. Design, configuration and material must be appealing and suitable for the relevant store concept. These are the basics for the development of promotional displays. Additional aspects include sales-oriented presentation, stable construction and easy positioning options. However, what role does the increasingly important aspect of sustainability play in retail and what impact does this then have on manufacturers of displays and display packs?

When shoppers make their purchasing decisions at the PoS many considerations run through their heads in the space of a few milliseconds. Alongside the issue of visual appearance, product quality and value for money one other criterion is now gaining in importance: how responsibly does the manufacturer of the desired product deal with resources? Corporate social responsibility has become a fixed evaluation criterion for consumers. The social image of the company plays just as much a role here as the use of renewable resources or energy-saving - and therefore also low-emission - production, packaging and logistics.

Critical Consumers

Today, critical consumers expect products that have been cultivated, manufactured, packaged and sold in a sustainable manner. In focus here are environmentally friendly materials, aspects like packaging return, waste reduction and recycling. The range of regional goods, optimisation of goods logistics, development of the range in line with ecological standards as well as a reduction in the amount of packaging are other key criteria taken into consideration by consumers. Therefore, when it comes to implementing the principle of sustainability it is not only industry and private consumption that are at the focus of public interest here but also sales, logistics and packaging.

Sales displays made of corrugated cardboard have the great advantage that many people immediately associate this material per se with recyclability and environmental protection. With its closed loop materials cycle on the basis of renewable raw materials corrugated cardboard does indeed meet these requirements excellently: based on natural raw materials the cardboard is linked to correspondingly positive CO² impact since wood and its manufacture into containerboard constitute high-performing reservoirs of the gas. In view of the topical climate debate these environmental advantages have obviously shifted into the forefront.

Seals and Certifications

One way to make this clear at first sight is to use certified packaging and display materials. International certificates provide complete proof of environmentally sound wood cultivation and further processing into paper and card through to packaging production. The FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) is committed to sustainable forestry development and also includes social and economic aspects in its certification alongside environmental considerations. Products bearing the FSC seal are certified according to set criteria for each individual stage in the entire product chain. For this the FSC has set out ten binding principles and 56 criteria. The FSC is supported in 42 countries by renowned organisations like Greenpeace, the WWF, Germany’s Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Union NABU and Robin Wood.

The PEFC certification system comes care of the largest independent institution ensuring and marketing sustainable forestry. Its defined and documented approach is aimed at ensuring consumption with a clear conscience and is based on the resolutions made at conferences following on from the Earth Summit held in Rio de Janeiro in 1992.

Sustainable Display Packaging

For display packaging it is also true to say that the more ecologically sound the product and packaging look, the more likely consumers will buy. Many products presented on displays are today still attached to the display cards with a skin foil or blister packs. Products from Asia are often still affixed with zip ties or wrapping wire. To cut plastic needs for this kind of packaging ViriPack has now developed a new technology which enables the products to be attached to the card with only one or two polyurethane threads. This means the customer can already touch the product at the PoS and perceive it in tactile terms. The packaging can easily be disposed of along with waste paper.