Getting Green: Millennials Force Sustainable Consumption

Tyler Williamson | September 28, 2018

Just over a week ago I found myself in an abnormally long Starbucks line waiting for my

Tazo Green Tea Lemonade, a situation I’m unfortunately used to. However, on this day, for

some reason, perhaps it was because I’d forgotten my headphones that morning and was

forced to pay attention to what was around me, or maybe it was the increased media coverage

of the coffee conglomerates initiative to reduce waste. Whatever it was, I found myself drawn to

the reusable straws, cups, mugs, jars, lids, and containers of all shapes and sizes that were

being advertised and incentivized for me in the line.

I couldn’t help but notice that the selection of reusable options seemed to have doubled

just overnight, and the company was pushing these options on customers in ways I’d never

seen. Such as half-priced coffee with the purchase of a cup, or the generous offering of a

reusable cup for just $2. It was clear to me that the company was starting to take sustainability

seriously. This made me wonder how far the reaches of sustainability stretched into other large

consumer companies.

If one looks back throughout the various progressive movements of America's youth and

you'll see that saving the earth is a common theme. Among millennials, cutting consumer waste

has become the common practice of 2018, a trend that seems to have amplified in the wake of

Starbucks’ ‘plastic straw ban’ which is in progress nationwide.

Large companies and corporations across the country and the world are being forced to

change their waste habits. Millennials willing to pay more for sustainable products has made it

clear that going green is the most important thing to them as consumers. Even some of the

largest companies in the world have taken notice. Rinkesh Kukreja -founder of Conserve

Energy Future, an online sustainability periodical- composed a list of the top companies that are

going green in 2018, Starbucks, McDonald's both made the list.

It may come as a surprise to most, but McDonald's, one of the world’s largest food stores is

heavily invested in the green initiative going forward. In July of this year, McDonald's put

together a $5 million donation to go towards an initiative to develop fully recyclable and

compostable cups, according to Peter Kotecki of Business Insider.

Starbucks, who is accountable for 1% of the worlds 600 billion paper cups distributed

every year, has committed $10 million to the initiative. The “NextGen Cup Challenge” is open to

any and all inventor and contributors who feel they can help redesign the way we use cups

specifically.

Dayana Cadet of Total Retail states that 45 percent of millennials could be swayed to

choose a product that is made by a company who practices green practices over a company

who does not. Not only is this true of food and beverage companies, but also for beauty and

apparel as well.

Millennials’ willingness to pay more for products that they know are contributing to

sustainable practices has long been assumed but only recently are these new environmentally

conscious consumers earning salaries and spending real money on things they believe in.

Senior Vice President of Public Development and Sustainability, Grace Farraj, of the

Nielsen Group, states, “Brands that establish a reputation for environmental stewardship among

today’s youngest consumers have an opportunity to not only grow market share but build loyalty

among the power-spending Millennials of tomorrow, too.”

The environmental impact of a large business is vast, however individual consumption can and

often does yield massive waste as well. Laura Barton of the Guardian recently wrote a piece on

Daniel Webb, who took it upon himself to save all of the plastic he used for a whole year. At the

end of the year, out of nearly 5,000 plastic items, 60% of them came from food packaging.

Webb believes that recycling -though very vital- is not the end-all solution, it is up to the

companies who make these products and the consumers who purchase them to find a way

actually to use less and save more.

Sustainable practices aren't going anywhere, and as consumers, it is time to adapt. Don't hold

on to the old model of one-time use. Embrace the sustainable culture. For the sake of our

planet, it is time we make a change. Millennials are, in general, pushing the packaging industry

toward more sustainable practices, but all of us on an individual level need to take a close look

at our habits as consumers. So next time you're waiting in that Starbucks line, go ahead and

spend the extra $4 on a reusable cup, buy the metal straw, change your habits and maybe we

can change the world.