{"id":22215,"date":"2025-04-27T14:02:22","date_gmt":"2025-04-27T14:02:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mysourcefunding.com\/?p=22215"},"modified":"2025-04-27T14:02:23","modified_gmt":"2025-04-27T14:02:23","slug":"amid-environmental-rollbacks-some-mission-driven-cpg-brands-are-staying-the-course","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mysourcefunding.com\/?p=22215","title":{"rendered":"Amid environmental rollbacks, some mission-driven CPG brands are staying the course"},"content":{"rendered":"

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President Trump\u2019s national energy emergency executive order and tariff-backed manufacturing mission aren\u2019t exactly an environmental activist\u2019s dream. So in a climate of near-climate crisis denialism, what are brands built on caring about the Earth and its inhabitants to do?<\/p>\n

For companies like Califia Farms, a plant-based beverage brand, and Tony\u2019s Chocolonely, an ethically sourced chocolate brand, the political and cultural atmosphere is something they\u2019re considering, but not surrendering to, executives told us. Both brands, which are built on eco-conscious and ethical missions, lean on that value heavily in their messaging, ranging from plant-focused campaigns to educational packaging.<\/p>\n

Though the current administration may be deprioritizing\u2014and in some cases, seeking to fully eliminate\u2014climate initiatives, and tariffs could stand to make green manufacturing and clean energy more costly, consumer demand for brand environmental responsibility is only increasing. A Capital One Shopping research report last updated in March found that \u201can estimated 177 million American adults were eco-friendly shoppers in 2024,\u201d an increase of 7.44% YoY. Shorr Packaging also found in its 2025 Sustainable Packaging Consumer Report that climate-conscious details sway purchase intentions, with 90% of respondents saying they were \u201cmore likely to purchase from a brand or retailer if its packaging is eco-friendly,\u201d and 56% noting that the food and packaged goods category particularly stands out for its efforts.<\/p>\n

Brands like Califia and Tony\u2019s are balancing the political climate with consumer sentiment, and ultimately, execs say they are staying true to their core values.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s some value in going to where the puck is going, or where the people are going and where the energy is going,\u201d Suzanne Ginestro, CMO at Califia Farms, told us. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t mean you have to abandon what you\u2019re doing. It\u2019s an \u2018and,\u2019 not an \u2018or.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Listening in<\/h2>\n

Major shifts like packaging changes can take a lot of time for a CPG brand like Califia to fully implement, Ginestro said, because of potential impact on multiple parts of the production and distribution process.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are very aware of what\u2019s going on at a macro level in the industry and in politics, to see how that\u2019s going to influence some of the choices we make or things we have to do,\u201d she said. \u201cIf there\u2019s labeling law changes or nutritional changes or environmental changes that you need to make, you have to be a year ahead of it in order to have it hit the shelf at the right time that the law goes into effect.\u201d<\/p>\n

Most recently, Trump\u2019s sweeping tariffs have affected nearly every industry, and dairy alternatives and agriculture are no exception. Ingredients like almonds and soybeans grown in the US are often exported to countries like India and China, and both crops are facing tariff pressures in the escalating global trade war. Ivory Coast, which produces a majority of the world\u2019s cocoa supply, has previously threatened higher prices after threats of tariffs (which have been paused for now).<\/p>\n

For a brand like Tony\u2019s Chocolonely, increasing cocoa prices have put pressure on its ethical cocoa sourcing mission in the past. But instead of deemphasizing the core tenet, Aidaly Sosa Walker, VP of marketing for the US and Canada, said the brand leaned into marketing it even harder.<\/p>\n

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\u201cLast year, we had cocoa prices that went up significantly, so we definitely felt it\u2026The way we solve it is to work more with our marketing, in order to make more noise and get in front of consumers and be more top of mind for them,\u201d she told us. \u201cWe need to be more creative, we need to be more bold, instead of investing more money. [We] spend less marketing dollars, but make sure that where we spend that, we make those dollars work harder for us by telling a very genuine story that is very true to the brand and that the consumer can relate to.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mission: possible<\/h2>\n

Doubling down on environmental commitment manifests both internally and externally.<\/p>\n

In February, Califia rolled out a campaign entitled \u201cThe Green Album,\u201d where every Spotify stream of the brand\u2019s album of plant-themed meditations (read by actor and comedian Chris O\u2019Dowd) resulted in a tree planted in partnership with the charity One Tree Planted, up to 25,000 trees. The public-facing effort, which is planned to run for the next year, started showing up across social media and paid media, and was tied to a TV campaign that Califia ran at the same time, Ginestro said; so far, social efforts like a TikTok video featuring O\u2019Dowd have generated millions of views.<\/p>\n

Internally, Ginestro said Califia also holds volunteer days, partners with almond growers, and is working to convert its packaging to recycled plastic. Its most important internal initiative remains its annual impact report, which summarizes the sustainability goals that the organization has been focused on throughout the year. Last year, for example, Califia quadrupled the amount of USDA-organic-certified ingredients, crafted a large-scale trial of more recyclable materials like magnetizable labels, and its plastic components, which have been lightweighted, \u201cavoided 1.17 million pounds of plastic,\u201d according to its 2024 Sustainability Report.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not just about saying we\u2019re doing things, but we\u2019re putting pen to paper,\u201d she said. \u201cHere\u2019s the proof of everything we’ve done, whether it\u2019s zero-waste initiatives at our plants or contributing to the circular economy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Being mission-driven also makes it easier for Tony\u2019s to continue its ethical and eco-conscious initiatives, especially as some consumers seek out brand accountability. And it\u2019s led to results, too: Sosa Walker says that in the five years since she joined the company, Tony\u2019s has seen its revenue increase from $9 million to close to $90 million, a feat she credits to a growing fan base that believes in the brand\u2019s message.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur mission drives us, so we don\u2019t need outside pressure to accelerate our intention around it,\u201d Sosa Walker said. \u201c[Customers] really come in for the chocolate, and then when they try it, they read about the brand. They learn more about the brand. It creates a tighter bond with them, and they just understand better that, okay, I\u2019m paying a little more for this chocolate versus other chocolate, but there\u2019s a reason behind it.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Read the full article here<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

President Trump\u2019s national energy emergency executive order and tariff-backed manufacturing mission aren\u2019t exactly an environmental activist\u2019s dream. So in a climate of near-climate crisis denialism, what are brands built on caring about the Earth and its inhabitants to do? For companies like Califia Farms, a plant-based beverage brand, and Tony\u2019s Chocolonely, an ethically sourced chocolate […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":22216,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[78],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-22215","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-marketing"},"yoast_head":"\nAmid environmental rollbacks, some mission-driven CPG brands are staying the course | Brandiary<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"President Trump\u2019s national energy emergency executive order and tariff-backed manufacturing mission aren\u2019t exactly an environmental activist\u2019s dream. 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