Synopsis of Consumer Behavior and These Five Levers of Consumers

China and United states are two of the biggest carbon emitters in the world followed by India
and Russia. The carbon footprint of china alone is higher than other 4 highest emitter countries
combined. With the awareness and education in recent years more and more people are aware
and are responsible about their action about the carbon footprint. Purchasing trends show that
people prioritize environmental impact when buying. Sustainability is the biggest concern. More
and more research is done about that and solution for how to minimize it is done in both end i.e.
manufacturer as well as consumer. Anybody can say they are doing the right thing but we must
be able to prove it.

Companies like Unilever are concerned about their carbon footprint while producing their
products and delivering it along with how their product will impact in their lifecycle. The
average carbon footprint for a person globally is around 4 tons. And to have the best chance of
avoiding a 2degree C rise in global temperatures, the average global carbon footprint per year
needs to drop under 2 tons by 2050. Because of which everybody should be responsible about
their actions.

As a consumer goods manufacturer Unilever faces challenges while trying to reduce its
environmental impact. Nearly 70% of the greenhouse gas impact of their products occurs when
consumers use them to wash their hair and laundry. Lifebuoy soap which spearheads our efforts
to reduce childhood mortality through the simple act of hand washing at key hygiene moments
throughout the day. Brands can have a great influence on consumer or people in general. The
five levers for change, a set of principles brought together in a new approach we believe can
increase the likelihood of achieving sustained behavior change. And they are:

Make it understood: it is about raising awareness and encouraging acceptance. Educating

consumer is very important if you want to have impact on them.

Make it easy: this lever is about convenience and confidence. Nobody enjoys the complicated
thing. It is human nature that they want ever thing in platter and easier to use. The important
question brands should ask is can their customer see it fitting into their lives?

Make it desirable: does the product fit with how they relate to others or want to.
Make it rewarding: when using the necessary products is there some sort of reward or not. This
lever is about demonstrating proof and pay-off.

Make it a habit: this lever is about reinforcing and reminding, refreezing people in their new
habits so it becomes unconscious again.

Example

Recently CEO of Tesla Elon Musk has announced that Tesla has suspended accepting bitcoin for
vehicle purchases. “We are concerned about rapidly increasing use of fossil fuels for bitcoin
mining and transactions, especially coal,” Musk. Cryptocurrency would be used for transaction
as soon as mining transactions to more suitable energy. Tesla is also known for their electrical
cars, which are more sustainable and comparatively better than fuels. Due to which other brand
are also following the similar path and developing their version of electrical car.

One of the major changes that I have recently witnessed is people movement toward veganism.
More and more people are cutting meat and dairy from their lifestyle, among all the other
reasons one of it is for environment. It is said that being vegan over the course of one year, will
save 1.5 million liters of water, 6607 kg of grain, 1022 square meters of forest cover, 3322 kg of
CO2.

Apple has also taken its stand for environmental cause. They have made their packaging smaller,
removed charger and the earpods from the box. Doing so it was able to cut down the usage of
plastic, and resources required producing it. While doing so people were not happy at first but
slowly they have accepted it.

Looking at these five levers of consumer is relevant in any type of business. Be it manufacturing
companies or service company. And everyone should do their own part on making this world
better place, and more sustainable.