This text is sponsored by Procter & Gamble.

Whereas corporations work to cut back their environmental impacts, additionally they ought to design their merchandise to assist remedy customers’ challenges in a extra sustainable manner.

A client problem could be outlined as a “job-to-be-done,” which is just an issue persons are attempting to unravel. From this angle, merchandise aren’t simply issues folks purchase, but additionally one thing they “rent” to unravel their downside. 

That is vital as a result of there’s a nice alternative to cut back the environmental affect of a product’s use phases. That is much more crucial when such merchandise require water and power, reminiscent of showering, doing laundry or washing dishes. Whereas it’s crucial that corporations proceed to cut back their very own operational and provide chain footprints, merchandise even have an vital position to play within the creation of sustainable habits at dwelling. Shopper insights shed mild into how model affect and product innovation can encourage new behaviors.  

By creating merchandise that carry out properly and are higher for folks and the planet, this helps the buyer full their job extra simply, and helps to cut back the corresponding environmental affect. Growing an answer that may ship efficiency for folks and planet requires a deep understanding of how an individual makes use of a given product and their surrounding surroundings. 

The next outlines how Procter and Gamble (P&G) applies client insights to cut back the environmental affect of dishwashing utilizing a three-principal method. First, P&G research how folks use the product by means of understanding their surrounding surroundings; second, develops a deeper understanding of why sure behaviors exist; and at last, leverages the insights within the product design. 

1. Zoom out to know the complete image of the surroundings the buyer is in

As P&G creates each dish cleaning soap and dishwasher detergent, we examine handwashing and auto-washing habits. It’s vital to place ourselves within the footwear of customers to know what’s taking place within the kitchen and why in order that we are able to outline the job to be finished and downside to be solved. That data, powered by extra client insights, informs the product necessities for our innovation. 

Some client behaviors we examine embrace: How usually is the sink operating? How lengthy do the dishes sit there? What number of dishes are washed by hand? What temperature is the water? How a lot water is used? What number of dishes are put into the dishwasher? 

These questions and extra allow a greater understanding of behaviors that use water and power within the kitchen.  

2. Perceive how folks really feel concerning the process to get to the basis of their habits

Washing dishes is a chore and usually folks need it finished quick and conveniently. Many busy folks state that they really feel overwhelmed by the sight of a full sink of soiled dishes. Individuals then undertake compensating behaviors that they suppose will assist them get the job finished extra effectively. Some examples:

• Maintaining the tap operating so as to save time, leading to vital water and power use;
• Soaking dishes to shave off time scrubbing;
• Cleansing dishes on an ongoing foundation to stop stuck-on messes versus doing all of them on the finish;
• Growing the water temperature to assist dishes dry quicker, leading to elevated power use; and,
• Washing dishes earlier than loading them as a result of they don’t imagine the dishwasher will get them clear, leading to wasted water and power.

Understanding the why behind the actions — on this case a need for effectivity mixed with a mistrust of dishwashers — offers R&D groups concepts for brand new options that foster extra sustainable habits. 

3. Leverage insights to design merchandise for efficiency for folks and planet

With an understanding of individuals’s behaviors and the motivation behind them, P&G can then design merchandise to assist shift habits whereas delivering towards the job to be finished. On this case, the job is quick and efficient dish cleansing that avoids useful resource intensive compensating behaviors. 

By way of a examine of dishwashing habits and the water and power used, P&G R&D decided that dishwashers must be the most popular alternative to cut back environmental affect through the product use part. All it takes is eight dishes washed by hand to make use of the identical quantity of water and power {that a} dishwasher makes use of. Utilizing a dishwasher, folks can save 100 gallons every week.  

By understanding client limitations to dishwasher utilization, P&G R&D groups optimized the chemistry in Cascade Platinum Plus dishwashing pods to wash dishes higher and remove the necessity for pre-washing or re-washing. The answer conserves assets and helps save time by avoiding soaking or pre-rinsing — folks scrape the dish off and instantly load it in. 

Whereas dishwashers supply essentially the most sustainability advantages over hand washing, some folks don’t have them. Daybreak Powerwash was developed to cut back water and power use for those that hand wash their dishes. The R&D group simplified the expertise by avoiding water on the onset of cleansing dishes. The outcome: refillable packaging and formulation designed to launch suds with out the necessity for water to activate them.

Making dishwashing a quicker and simpler chore also can encourage additional sustainable behavior adoption, reminiscent of cooking and consuming extra at dwelling.

Innovating a superior and sustainable product 

Shopper manufacturers have a duty to establish the place affect could be made and the place they’ll step in to innovate, resulting in a superior and sustainable product that delivers added worth. 

A science-based method is vital as a result of it exhibits the place the largest enchancment for the surroundings could be made. A consumer-inspired product is equally vital as a result of it ends in a happy client when operate and expertise is delivered. The 2 have to be merged for a holistic proposition that folks need to purchase.

When finished proper, the result’s one thing we are able to all get behind: merchandise that delight, allow higher habits and scale back environmental footprints at dwelling.