The products of the future

Why should sustainability be something that retailers and manufacturers in the DIY and gardening sectors invest in today, even though climate and environmental protection are losing ground in surveys?

Theresa Schleicher: Because otherwise, retailers and manufacturers will undermine the products of the future. We’re already seeing rising raw material prices across the board. This means we have no choice but to think more in terms of circularity, resource efficiency and durability when shaping the economy of the future. The sooner companies start adapting their systems, processes and product ranges to this, the better they will be able to offer good and affordable prices to customers in the future. And we all know that price will remain a key factor.

So the question is not just whether sustainability is morally right, but how we make it commercially viable. Here, too, new product innovations are set to emerge in the coming years, ranging from everyday productivity products and substitute products made from alternative materials to an even wider choice of recycled and recyclable products. In my new study, I was able to explore six new categories. The market has only just begun in this area.

Is this an area for the near and distant future where money can be made in this sector?

Much of this is already relevant today, just under a different guise. Durability is playing a major role for an increasing number of consumers. Sustainable packaging can also be a selling point if it is communicated effectively. However, ‘smart’ products are particularly exciting. Take the smart home sector alone: for customers here, it’s all about being more energy-efficient. Ultimately, that means saving money. That, too, is a sustainable approach in its own right, albeit driven by different motivations in some cases. Refurbished and second-hand goods are also topics that continue to appeal to consumers, partly for price reasons. In future, we need to understand sustainability in broader, more everyday terms.

What should the retail sector and industry focus on?

They should work with the concepts and topics that are truly relevant to people. These include health, longevity, resources and saving money. Sustainability must be communicated in such a way that customers…