Alpro’s strong sustainability goals such as zero carbon, zero water and zero waste, as well as health-focused pledges to promote plant-based eating, are likely to strike a chord with concerned consumers, says GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company.

Ryan Whittaker, Consumer Analyst at GlobalData, comments: “Much of the growth in vegan, vegetarian, flexitarian and other plant-based diets in recent years has been tied into concerns over health and the environment. This has been a double-edged sword, as plant-based products and packaging have inevitably come under increased environmental scrutiny.”

GlobalData’s research suggests that, for many consumers, the COVID-19 pandemic has prioritized environmental concerns. According to GlobalData’s COVID-19 recovery tracker survey, *12% of global consumers claim that a reduced environmental footprint is now their top priority, and a further 19% say that it is significantly more important to them than before the pandemic.

Alpro announced that it would introduce 100% recyclable packs and paper-based cups for its yogurt products and a 60% reduction of its water footprint, per product. The brand also announced that it would bring more diverse plant-based ingredients into its products and increase fiber content to 50%.

Whittaker adds: “Health also remains extremely salient to consumers; GlobalData found that 26% of global consumers describe themselves as extremely concerned about their health. By attaching the brand to both concerns, Alpro has given itself a difficult mission, but it will ultimately pay off. Its product will potentially become a standard for all other health and sustainability-focused brands to be compared to. Any other plant-based producers wanting to compete in Alpro’s categories will have to likewise invest in low-waste sustainable packaging and production methods, as well as biodiverse and nutritious content.”

*COVID-19 recovery tracker consumer survey, week 8, 23 September 2020