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The Duchy Organic brand was originally conceived in 1990 by Prince Charles, and it is run by Waitrose, a high-end supermarket, since 2010. Since 1983, Waitrose contributes to making organic food accessible to everyday life — the Duchy Organic’ product range is grown over 300. The brand says that buying organic means supporting a way of farming that works in harmony with the environment to grow food in a sustainable way, the highest welfare standards and vibrant farmland wildlife. The package clearly shows its support for the Prince’s charities — to help farmers develop more sustainable farming practices — and design, where the same gold colour is used for the logo and the word ‘organic.’ ‘Good causes’ and ‘Good farming’ are printed with the bigger hand-writing typefaces. They have an iconic brand leader, a clear vision, a track history of delivering what they promise, and good brand communication. And last but not least, it tastes delicious, especially for biscuits! Lessons from the British brand What Japanese companies can learn is the segmentation of sustainable customers. The Duchy Originals targets the premium organic market, which is not luxury but not cheap, and they developed their product offer, channels and brand communication around it. In the current Japanese market, I see three groups: those who support sustainability proactively, those who appreciate the reassurance and safety which associates with sustainability/organic, and those who think sustainability is cool. These three are led by different motivations. The first is led by the purpose and value of a company/product, the second is function, and the third is stories and design that move their hearts. For example, the last group is likely to feel that the mainstream of organic packages in Japan could be too minimal. ‘Organic equals less’ is the right idea, but it does not necessarily mean it should be boring. In addition, they can launch more product lines that put sustainability to the front. For Calbee, for instance, it is a product while putting the product sustainability for environment, society and people first, from the point of product life cycle, e.g. an organic range of crisps with responsibly sourced potato. Given 70% of Japanese consumers say that they don’t understand the meaning of certificates, e.g., JAS organic mark, they are waiting for products that are straightforward — how buying this product can contribute to creating a better world, and the brand name, architecture and verbal identity enable the clear positioning.
Lastly, the Japanese way of communication known for ‘who knows most, speaks least’ needs to be put aside. When brands talk with consumers, it will create even more empathy and trust if brands can address challenges in the world that consumers live in. Similar to the Duchy Organic supporting sustainable farming, customers are waiting for bold and ethical brands that make the impact rather than putting ‘eco-friendly’ in small letters just as an appendix.

Calbee, the manufacturer of potato crisps, launched a marketing campaign in a very Japanese way last year. They realised that 84% of consumers fold a crisp package after they eat. The beauty of folding is to reduce the size of waste volume, which leads to reducing the environmental load. They started a campaign called ‘Oripake,’ which means folding a package. They printed a four-leaf clover, which appears when customers nicely fold the package, and photos taken with the Calbee App can transfer to points, which can be used for gifts, e.g., growing potatoes.
Japan and Sustainability This campaign represents the current situation of how the majority of food companies in Japan integrate sustainability into their products; they prioritise using less energy, raw materials and reducing waste. Japan sees the sustainable future from the point of environment, often from the view of society (education and inclusion, etc.), and people (health and well-being and equality, etc.) are left out. Equally, sustainability can often be seen as cost, not the engine to create economic benefits. In addition, unlike Calbee, the majority of Japanese food businesses are still in the stage of CSR; they give back some portion of profits to good causes. On the other hand, the world has already shifted its focus to the sustainability of the life cycle and supply chain — from sourcing of raw materials through to product manufacture, distribution, consumer use and disposal. This is a different approach where everyone who has been involved in the creation and sales of the product can get their shares equally, rather than just a particular group of people benefitting. Upon the increase in interests for lifecycle sustainability management, France has passed a regulation which requires some industries to put the product/service’s carbon footprint on the packages within five years*. Japan is positioned 17th out of 166 countries in the SDI index and Dashboard report in 2020; however, the interests among Japanese consumers are increasing: According to the survey conducted in 2019, it is clear that 81% of consumers are willing to shop more with products sustainably produced and manufactured, even though they are not currently doing so. Rakuten Insight reports that 32% of people think they intend to shop in a sustainable way strongly/somewhat strongly compared with before COVID-19*. The needs for sustainable and organic products are underserved, which means there are business opportunities. In fact, Japanese people appreciate their own sustainable philosophy. Mottainai is the Buddhist-origin word that links to the action of ‘reuse,’ ‘recycle,’ ‘reduce’ and ‘respect’ to what we have. Eiichi Shibusawa, father of Japanese capitalism from the late 19th century, put public welfare over his own interest. But somehow, when the Japanese economy had grown rapidly, it was busy importing the way western companies run their businesses, not paying much attention to how to appreciate our sustainable way of living. Given Japan has the foundation, I am hopeful that the movement of sustainability will be growing rapidly.
*Reference https://www.calbee.co.jp/newsrelease/200914a.php https://www.ecologie.gouv.fr/gouvernement-soumet-projet-loi-climat-et-resilience-aux-consultations-obligatoires https://www2.deloitte.com/content/dam/Deloitte/jp/Documents/consumer-business/cp/jp-cp-consumer-after-covid-19-1.pdf https://www.hakuhodo.co.jp/uploads/2019/11/20191118.pdf

Suga, the Prime Minister of Japan recently announced a commitment to his country achieving carbon neutrality by 2050. This will encourage significant changes in government policies, business and financial institutions in Japan. Japan is heavily reliant on fossil fuels to generate electricity. Fossil fuels include oil, coal and liquefied natural gas, all of which emit a large amount of greenhouse gases and consequently contribute to global warming. A substantial effort has been made to increase the focus on renewable energy: power from renewable energy sources has grown on average by 22% from 2012 to 2017 thanks to a feed-in tariff policy. Renewable energy accounted for 19.2% of the total electricity generated in 2019. Changes in government policy can be perceived as a risk for some companies, but for those who are willing to drive innovation, it is an opportunity. The change this time is a case of changing our behaviour patterns which began during the industrial revolution, and with which we have been familiar for over 200 years. It is a disruptive change.

Brands in Japanese renewable energy There are several players in the Japanese market who want to turn these changes into a business opportunity by launching new renewable energy products. Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) is the largest electricity supplier in Japan, with a market share of 29.1% in 2019-2020. They own a brand called ‘Aqua Energy 100’, which sources 100% of its electricity from hydraulic power. It undoubtedly attracts consumers who want to achieve a net-zero carbon footprint for their electricity usage. How are they building the new brand? Aqua Energy 100 chose to be a brand endorsed by TEPCO, a supplier associated with a long-standing legacy and a government that backed them during the Second World War. It is wise of Aqua Energy 100 to leverage TEPCO’s credibility as an infrastructure provider, however, their brand presence is not strong. Using the ‘House of Brands’ structure, they could have highlighted the creation of a new relationship between electricity and the environment by building a more independent and stronger brand. This would have inspired consumers to change their behaviour when it comes to choosing an energy supplier. Aside from its brand architecture, Aqua Energy 100 needs to improve every aspect of its brand experience, from choice of tariffs and customer service to the supplier switch-over process. At the moment, customer service and the switching process are handled by TEPCO. Furthermore, innovation is needed in order to be able to lower the price of sustainably sourced electricity enough to compete with the price of the energy derived from fossil fuels supplied by TEPCO at least, even though some consumers are willing to pay a premium to support green energy. There are sustainable brands that are good at communicating. An example is ‘Shizen Denki’ (meaning ‘’natural electricity’). Founded in 2011 after the Great East Japan Earthquake, this brand wanted to lead the way in creating a sustainable future. In terms of brand communication, their friendly typography is accompanied by the tagline ‘We can create the world with 100% renewable energy’. Shizen Denki not only provides clear information about their tariffs and the process required to change supplier, they also communicate their purpose, mission and services very well. It was their storytelling that drew my attention; renewable energy suppliers are not as common in Japan as in Europe and so they tell the story of why they established the company and use customer testimonials to communicate how renewable energy benefits the environment.
Brands in British renewable energy One of the good examples of renewable energy usage is the UK where 37.1% of the total electricity generated came from renewable sources in 2019. The energy supplier Bulb launched in 2013, with a clear intention to disrupt the electricity supplier market, which was dominated at the time by six suppliers known as the 'Big Six’. Bulb’s brand strategy and its execution, especially in terms of user experience, is excellent. The reason why this company exists is to be ‘an inspiration in the energy sector’. Bulb is the perfect name for a company to reflect the purpose. Their pink and navy logo stands out from those of the ‘Big Six’ and their hand-drawn graphics convey their approachable and friendly personality. Their website has been designed to clearly communicate their approach: simple, friendly and honest. This approach also applies to their tariffs, which are uncomplicated and do not include hidden costs such as an exit fee. Their emails include the use of engaging animations which fosters a greater connection between Bulb and its customers. You cannot see their product (electricity) and may not always interact with their staff, however, Bulb proves that offering a great customer experience via a digital channel can build a distinctive brand which is disrupting the market and creating the new normal of the future.