Consumption ultimately gives us many benefits. Yet, it also challenges us with some inconvenient truths, such as environmental contamination, income inequality and resource depletion. Our consumption patterns can thus impinge on social welfare, implying that the resolution of such patterns can improve the way we consume. Many companies are thus encouraging consumers to consider socio-environmental factors when making the final purchase decision. The main approach for this is changing customer awareness and striving to create a sustainable consumption trend based on active consumption.

Millennial customers pursue value-conscious consumption and seek to impact society through their purchases. Laying the foundation for a sustainable brand requires changing customer awareness and behavior, as well as engaging customers to strengthen the ties to the brand. This episode will explore the activities of companies that are leading sustainable consumption culture and lifestyle through customer participation and awareness.

Marking its 40th anniversary earlier this year, The Body Shop declared its new commitment as "Enrich Not Exploit," signifying its efforts to realize its corporate vision based on customer participation. More specifically, the company announced its 2020 Sustainability Management Vision and 14 specific objectives, declaring that it would engage 80,000 consumers. To attain its three visions: "Enrich Our People," "Enrich Our Products" and "Enrich Our Planet," the company commenced active consumer communication under specific objectives, including the disclosure of product sustainability information.
As part of its efforts to realize its vision, the company released the Limited Edition Hemp Hand Protector (dubbed "Change Hand Cream" in Korea) to induce customer participation through its products and marketing campaigns. Whenever this product is sold, part of the proceeds is donated to The Body Shop Foundation, and consumers can actually select the organization to which they want to make the donation. The company held a campaign where a customer can donate KRW 1,000 to an NGO by uploading a photo of their palm with "#CHANGE" written on it to their social networks.

Selected as the healthiest food chain in the US by CNN, Whole Foods Market focuses on in-store customer participation campaigns to encourage customers to access healthy and sustainable lifestyle choices more easily and conveniently. To respond to consumer needs for a healthy dietary life and encourage a healthy consumption culture, the company launched an initiative titled "Health Starts Here" in 2009. Operating a product line with the label "Health Starts Here" in stores, the company provides customers with healthy vegetables, whole grains, minimized salt and sugar and wholesome fats. It also operates education programs about health and well-being for customers in its stores and provides booklets and recipes to help customers adopt healthier and sustainable lifestyle choices. The company has also sought to establish a forward-thinking IT infrastructure that can provide product sustainability information, such as livestock welfare grade and genetic modification information in order to cater to the needs of customers who are sensitive to food information.
The keen interest of Whole Foods Market in healthier lifestyle choices is perhaps best exemplified by its corporate philosophy, which emphasizes its corporate social responsibility in its role handling products directly associated with life. The corporate spirit of Whole Foods Market is well explained by the sentence: "Given that people don't live only to eat, corporations should never exist solely to make a profit." Prioritizing organic farming, environment friendliness and sustainable production, the company has continuously exerted a positive influence on both companies and customers, while fulfilling its social responsibilities.

Consumer participation campaigns have received increasing attention in the field of corporate sustainability thanks to their ability to convey the brand's unique values while implementing the brand's vision for sustainability management and encourage positive lifestyle choices. Then, how is Amorepacific working to promote sustainable lifestyle choices?

Existing company-led sustainability management activities have evolved into consumer-led campaigns. Companies and brands should now play the role of providing platforms for customers to make positive changes in the environment and society. By suggesting "good consumption, value-conscious consumption" to raise public interest through selected purchases, we can deliver the unique value of our brands, and at the same time, exert a positive influence on the life of our customers.
Striving towards a beautiful humanity and a prosperous society, Amorepacific is committed to contributing to spreading value-conscious consumption through consumer campaigns by internalizing brand sustainability. We look forward to the active participation and support of our colleagues for Amorepacific to contribute to adopting sustainable lifestyle choices.