Eco-friendly Archives - MARKETECH APAC

Jakarta, Indonesia – The large majority of consumers are willing to pay a higher price for eco-labelled products, even if they are 50% higher than their old brand choices, according to data from market research company YouGov.

With the exception of gaming-related products, Indonesian consumers are willing to accept more than 80% higher prices for eco-labelled food items such as milk, rice, coffee, and tea, compared to other product categories. In contrast, at least one-fifth of consumers who would pay more for eco-labelled fashion and personal care products such as cosmetics and skincare, as well as clothing items, bath soap, oral care, footwear are only willing to accept higher prices of 10% or less.

When asked about food related items, around one-third of consumers are open to switching the brand of rice (34% of respondents), coffee/tea (33% of respondents) and milk (33% of respondents) they currently purchase in order to buy an eco-labelled one. While slightly more are willing to pay more for eco-labelled rice (35% of respondents), slightly less would be for coffee/tea (30% of respondents) and milk (30% of respondents).

Meanwhile, when asked about household appliances and furniture products, more than one-quarter are open to switching their current brand of home furniture (29%) in order to buy an eco-labelled one, while just under a quarter (24%) are willing to pay more.

Lastly, one-quarter of consumers (25%) are open to switching the brands of smartphones they currently purchase to buy an eco-labelled one, while slightly more (27%) are willing to pay a higher price for greener smartphones. But less than one in seven consumers would consider switching brands and paying more for eco-labelled cars (14%) and gaming consoles (5% to 6%).

Makati, Philippines – Filipino creative agency BBDO Guerrero has launched an open-source re-design of traditional shampoo packaging, called ‘The Dissolving Bottle’, giving it an eco-friendly makeover.

The Dissolving Bottle aims to make shampoo bars more intuitive by giving them a shape similar to small bottles used in hotels. The shampoo uses zero plastic, which is a great way to reduce wastes.

Each bar is equal to a 90ml bottle of shampoo, weighs 130 grams, and is made with all-organic ingredients by local Filipino manufacturer, The Naturale Market. The partner brands also got a chance to customize their own versions of The Dissolving Bottle.

According to the agency, the product has already been tested with some hotels in the Boracay island and had received great feedback.

David Guerrero, chairman of BBDO Guerrero Creative, said, “We have long been involved with campaigns to fight plastic waste. And with The Dissolving Bottle we have a solution that can clean your hair without a bottle.”

The agency is also offering to supply the molds at cost to artisanal producers for community livelihood projects. Interested parties can inquire at The Dissolving Bottle website.

Singapore – The Nurturing Co., an environment-friendly consumer products company, has launched a new sanitary solution, bidet brand Wipeless.

Its toilet paper Bambooloo is zero-plastic and 100% bamboo-made, and the company said the bidet solution is the next step as it targets waste elimination.

Wipeless is designed with an ultra-slim body that can easily be installed in 15-30 minutes with the use of a screwdriver. It is made to be easily used by those without any prior experience on bidet usage.

Wipeless features a design that has undergone rigorous durability tests, with a lifespan of 5-7 years on average, fitted with Slipless© grips, VariSpray© soft-touch controls, and for the bidet’s MK1 model, a PeeGuard© nozzle protection.

The Nurturing Co. also ensures that it stays true to its promise of sustainability, spilling it over to its packaging, using patented internal ceramic components with zero plastic for Wipeless.

“At The Nurturing Co., we are investing in a zero-waste, carbon-negative future by leveraging behavioral change and transitioning the world towards more sustainable solutions. While we have had tremendous success with our bamboo-based toilet paper Bambooloo, we aren’t willing to settle for waste reduction and want to lead the charge to transition towards waste elimination,” said its CEO and founder, David Ward.

With the coronavirus pressing hygiene concerns at an unprecedented level, hence, shooting up the demand for toilet paper, Wipeless aims to reduce its use by adopting a more hygienic method of cleaning, which also helps lessen the incidence of medical conditions such as hemorrhoids, rashes, and urinary tract infections.

According to data of The Nurturing Co., 27,000 trees are cut down every day to make toilet paper, and that one roll uses 37 gallons of water to manufacture while resulting in 440g of carbon emissions.

Ward added that with this in mind, the company realized it needed to be at the forefront of a paradigm shift towards waste elimination.

“Even as our Bambooloo business is growing very well, more than 90% of the global hygiene paper market is still held by giant multinationals who are continuing to chop down over 27,000 trees a day to fuel their various supply chains for wood pulp toilet paper. We have to look at the issue from another perspective in order to address today’s consumer needs for tomorrow,” said Ward.

In addition to The Nurturing Co.’s online store and Amazon, Wipeless is available on funding platform Kickstarter until 25 March 2021 with a fundraising target of $50,000. Three bundles of Wipeless are available on the platform with exclusive add-ons that cannot be purchased on its website.