Regenerative brands

Trends

Circularity and substitution: two keywords that establish the concept of sustainability as it is understood today. This term has been slightly abused in recent years, but which in the convergence of these two concepts takes on a different light and gives an idea of what innovation means.

The "Regenerative Circularity" is a trend that is growing more and more and which involves different fields: agriculture, food, beauty and fashion. From upcycling to new certifications, new companies are stepping up to ecosystem restoration.

In fact, there are several sectors in which regenerative practices are talked about, but some brands are doing more. It's not just about doing less damage to the planet, but about counteracting negative impacts and renewing resources. Brands are recognizing that doing less damage is not enough: regenerating the world's resources and repairing the damage accumulated over the centuries is the ultimate goal of sustainability.

People, not consumers

From this point of view, people are no longer thoughtful "targets", consumers to be loyal, but a very precious resource to draw on for change and innovation. The new generations, in particular the "Gen Z" represent the "customer of the future" in a rather evident way, thanks to some specific characteristics: entrepreneurship of the self, aptitude to act as "creators" and strong critical awareness.

This must be viewed from the point of view of an economic model of sustainable development, less impact on the environment and a more inclusive relationship towards society.

Fashion

Even in the fashion sector, brands are investing in this kind of practice: it was October 2021 when Ralph Lauren announced its collaboration with the Soil Health Institute to launch the US regenerative Cotton Fund.

Global luxury group Kering has named the first seven beneficiaries of the Regenerative Fund for Nature initiative, with a mission to switch one million hectares of land to regenerative practices over the next five years.

Retail

On the retail side, Morrisons, the British grocery chain, announced a partnership with McDonald's, Harper Adams University and the National Farmers' Union in October 2021. Collaborators launched the first food school and sustainable agriculture in the UK, with the ultimate goal of transforming the country's farming practices.

This follows Walmart's commitment, initiated in September 2020, to become a regenerative company, including a pledge to restore at least 50 million acres of land by 2030.

Big food

In recent years, Big Food has lagged behind on regenerative agriculture, with multinationals Danone, Nestlé and General Mills revealing plans to help some of their suppliers adopt regenerative techniques. In April 2021, PepsiCo announced an ambitious goal to scale such techniques to seven million acres of land -- equal to its entire agricultural footprint -- by 2030.

Nativa: for a regenerative future

NATIVA, Regenerative Design Company, supports hundreds of companies in a radical evolution of the business, focusing its brand with a view to a better contribution to the ecological, social and economic transition. Symbol of the brand and visual identity and the color purple: symbol of the future, imagination and depth of thought.

A rebranding that involved not only the people of the NATIVA team, but also various stakeholders including CEOs of companies, journalist partners, to identify the challenges they are led to face in their daily lives and the vision as well as the possible solutions they see as a leader for the future of its business in favor of the planet and the new generations.

The target? Bring out the skills and tools made available to companies, as well as the inspiration and challenges faced by leaders who have chosen to evolve their business by integrating new sustainable models and processes. This is precisely because the social and environmental challenges of recent years highlight the need for the private sector to rethink its models, with a view to contributing to solving these great challenges of our time.

Its core business also includes the commitment to create communication campaigns such as: #UnlockTheChange, #UnlockEducation, CO2alizione Italia, an initiative that has led over 60 Italian companies to integrate the commitment to climate neutrality into the statute.

Eric Ezechieli, co-founder of NATIVA, comments: “In the last 10 years Nativa has been able to contribute to an evolution of the business world in terms of innovation towards sustainability. But we are only at the beginning, the sustainability challenges that the private sector will have to face in the coming years are unprecedented, we need courage, creative ability and extreme collaboration, which are the characteristics of the legacy leaders we address".

Nativa's vocation: to accelerate the transition towards a regenerative economic future, creating a positive environmental, social and economic value, with a view to a regenerative future. New challenges that therefore require new ways of thinking.

© L.V.