From  Left:  President/CEO, UPTICOMM Marketing Company Ltd, Mr. Segun McMedal; President, Experiential Marketers Association of Nigeria (EXMAN), Mrs. Tolulope Medebem;  Founder/CEO Ladybird Communications, Mrs. Bunmi Oke; Founder Consumer Advocacy Foundation of Nigeria (CAFON) Mrs. Sola Salako-Ajulo; Chairman Brand Journalists of Nigeria(BJAN), Mr. Daniel Obi;  Principal Consultant/CEO NECCI, Dr (Mrs.) Nkechi Ali-Balogun; President, Nigerian Institute of Public Relations ( NIPR),  Lagos State Chapter, Mrs. Comfort Obot; and Managing Consultant OE&E Consulting, Mr. Tony Agenmonmen; at the  event

 

 

 

For  a just transition to sustainable lifestyles to be achieved,  consumers, globally, have a role to play, experts in the nation’s marketing communications  space have suggested.

 

 

The practitioners, who made the submission at the recently-held World Consumer Rights Day, organized by the Brand Journalists’ Association of Nigeria (BJAN), in Lagos, believed one of the ways towards achieving this is for consumers to begin to shift their allegiance to green and eco-friendly products.

 

 

They argued that  patronizing companies and products that promote sustainability remains one of the immense powers wielded by today’s consumers, in the fight against business activities that promote unsustainable lifestyles.

 

 

In her Keynote Address, tagged: “A Just Transition To Sustainable Lifestyles”,  the CEO, Kratos Sustainability Consults, Omobolanle Victor-Laniyan, noted that  shunning products and industries that promote unsustainable lifestyles,  is one of the ways consumers can leverage the immense powers they wield to put businesses on sustainability path.

 

 

“If consumers begin to wield their powers, and the shift is moving towards sustainable products, every business will sit up, because  no business wants to lose market share,” she stated.

 

 

According to her, the theme of this year’s World Consumer Rights Day has become imperative since businesses and consumers must begin to address  climate crisis, and its attendant social inequality, and  environmental  degradation the world is presently passing through.

 

 

Reeling out some statistics, Omobolanle decried a situation where the  world’s wealthiest 10 percent is responsible for half of the global emissions, while the poorest 50 percent, which  contribute only about 10 percent of such environmental degradation,  bears the consequences  of the climate change, describing  the disparity as underscoring  the urgency of a just transition,

 

 

She,  therefore, sees ‘just transition’, as a gradual process of imbibing sustainability, without leaving anyone behind; taking care of  the gender, racial and  geographical inequalities,  existing in the society.

 

“The transition to sustainable living is not just about reducing individuals or businesses’ carbon  emission footprints or choosing eco-friendly products emission, it is about ensuring that the transition is just, and that it leaves no one behind.

 

 

“A truly sustainable world is one where every one has access to tools and  knowledge to live in harmony with the environment without compromising the quality of life.

 

 

“A ‘Just Transition’ acknowledges that while the world must go greener, the way it approaches the transition matters. It ensures communities are not left behind. It calls for fairness and equity, ensuring that everyone has access to sustainable development. It calls for the protection of the vulnerable group, focusing on the needs of women, low income groups,  and racial minorities, who have disproportionately bore the consequences of unsustainable practices,” she added.

 

 

On the role of businesses and industries towards achieving this, Omobolanle called for some form of  investments in their operations that will aid the gradual shifts and focus of such businesses to green and eco-friendly products and services.

 

 

The Head, Corporate Communications and Sustainability Lead, Nestle Nigeria, Victoria Uwadoka advised consumers to begin to  examine and choose their products, based on the  level of compliance of such products with sustainability.

 

 

She also believed  that for transition to sustainable lifestyles to be just, such transition must not put an extra burden on consumers.

 

 

In his welcome remarks, the association’s Chairman, Daniel Obi, highlighted  the importance  of consumer awareness and education in promoting sustainability.

 

He explained that the decision to bring the topic to the front burner stemmed from the need to sensitise individuals and businesses to the importance of a just transition to sustainable lifestyles, and its benefits for mankind.