SUSTAINABILITY STRATEGIES
There is a clear and material link between ESG-related claims and consumer spending, according to research from McKinsey and NielsenIQ.“ Consumer perception of products and awareness of sustainability is becoming much more significant,” explains Craig Woodburn, Sustainability Director across EMEA and APAC for Molson Coors.“ That goes down to our brands where we start looking at actually what’ s sustainable about a brand and what is visible there. People are looking at health and wellbeing as well.”
“ Our heartlands will always be in beer – what we want to do is provide choice for consumers and what that looks like in terms of our portfolio varies in different markets,” Craig explains. While consumer behaviours can influence the more obvious and visible sustainability factors like packaging, health and wellbeing can make a big difference for a company producing alcohol.
Yogesh Chauhan, Senior Director of Sustainability at HubSpot, says:“ A company can only change consumer behaviour to some extent. You can only be one or half a step ahead— 10 steps ahead and you lose everyone. When it comes to purchasing decisions, most people still choose the cheaper product over the sustainable one.”
According to research from HubSpot, almost a third of consumers trust brands openly communicating their ESG practices and more than half of consumers support fines for companies failing to meet ESG standards.
68 November 2025