This week, on a bright and sunny day on the island of Gotland, our energy-packed Client Director, Sebastian Tarkowski gave a thought-provoking talk at Svenska Retursystems Food Waste Seminar in Almedalen. Here, Sebastian talked trends, industry responsibility, and how need-based innovation is the key to success!

Here are a couple of key take outs from the talk:

1. The “Mega Trends” we see today are nothing new, it only takes a quick Google Search to learn that Globalisation, Urbanisation, Digitalisation, Mega-cities, A.I., Sustainability, Climate Change, Millennials, and so on, are carrying out massive shifts in consumer behaviour. It’s what we do when we innovate within these trends that it truly becomes something impactful, and where we begin to solve problems.

2. Even if we want to urge consumers to waste less food, we can’t put all the responsibility on the consumer. We’re at a time where our market is oversaturated with chatter and choice. It’s up to us, the industries, to challenge bad habits within what is being produced and how it’s delivered. We will only win by making it easier for consumers to make the right choices. “Either your brand does it, or someone else’s will”, and the brand that achieves making “doing good” more convenient, and even enjoyable, will be the consumers #1 choice.

3. We have to think on a holistic level, where businesses and innovation solutions change both company and consumer behaviour.

4. Products must be adapted to consumers, not the other way around. Knowing your consumer can help brands tackle food waste, for example via customizable, or “right-sized” packaging, where the consumer buys only what is needed, for when it is needed.

5. Needs and insight-based innovation is the key to success! Merchants can no longer expect consumers to come to them, brands must anticipate consumer expectations and seek to understand their context.

*Almedalsveckan is a week that gathers a mass of interesting companies, politicians, and all that have a bold point of view and welcomes debates on social issues. Check out their website to learn more!