Cheers to Veuve Clicquot and the Trend
of Luxurious Sustainability
The French champagne brand Veuve Clicquot has a history of being progressive. In 1805 Mdme Clicquot Ponsardin made history when she assumed the company’s management, as one of the first women to do so. Continuing on with this driver of forward-thinking, Veuve Clicquot continues to stay progressive in the modern world, offering a Business Woman of the Year award for the past two decades, and now, with their packaging.
This past year, VC developed it’s DesignBox, only quietly touted in the U.S., which is comprised of only trees approved by the Forest Stewardship Council [http://www.fscus.org/] and forgoing the plastic lamination- making the package entirely recyclable. This move sets a good standard for brands in the luxury category, by modeling simple changes that effect the environment as well as consumer perception.
Recently, professional beauty brand and eco-savvy stalwart, Aveda also made more steps toward sustainability by switching to soy based inks on their boxes, which is becoming a more viable and responsible option for all CPGs.
There is no denying that this is a monumentally important trend in both the mainstream and high-end CPG categories- however it is the responsibility of luxury brands, which are much more culturally visible and coveted, to set the example.
Steps like these in package redesign allow the consumer to easily participate in eco-friendly purchasing behavior without changing their daily routines and helps create a triple win for Business, Buyers and this Big Blue planet. We should continue to laud brands that follow suit.
Rochelle Fainstein
Sterling Brands
