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ESTABLISH TRUST. BE RELEVANT. BUILD BRAND LOYALTY.

Transparency is a big, complex issue. It is the one word that captures the swelling chorus of consumer demands in the sustainability marketplace. Today's consumers want to make better purchase decisions, and to do this they want to be better informed. They want to know "what's inside" before they buy. And what they want to know extends well beyond product and packaging characteristics.

Quality information, then, lies at the heart of what motivates purchase.

The Hartman Group's Transparency 2015 report provides an in-depth understanding of transparency from the consumer's perspective. It is a comprehensive exploration of key topics that cover:

• Meaning of "sustainability" and "transparency"
• Important elements of trust and transparency
• Sustainability practices
• Sustainability information sources used
• Importance of sustainable packaging
• Importance of sustainability/transparency dimensions of various product categories
  • Frequency of purchasing and willingness to pay more for products with specific sustainability dimensions
  • Barriers to purchasing sustainable products
  • Food service and food retail sustainability choices

Transparency 2015 updates several key sustainability-related changes since our last report in 2013. Sustainability issues covered include:

• Products/ingredients (how they are made, what's included or absent)
• Sourcing practices, including country/region of origin
• Animal welfare
• Employee rights
• Corporate ownership

The report also takes a deep-dive into transparency as it relates to consumer trust in terms of:

• How consumers evaluate what they hear from companies
• What they want to know about products and companies' business practices

The report delivers a broad understanding of what consumers want to hear from companies to earn their trust. It identifies companies consumers think are doing a good job and which have room for improvement.

The report's findings, insights and recommendations help guide packaged goods companies, retailers and food service operators in their efforts to be relevant in today's complex, wired environment and to build brand loyalty among their customers.

Table of Contents

• Executive Summary
• Methodology
• The World of Sustainability
• Sustainability: What's new in 2015
• Transparency & Trust
• Product Categories as they relate to Sustainability & Transparency
  • Food & Beverages
  • Personal Care Products
  • Household Cleaners
  • Pet Food
  • Retail
  • Food Service
  • Key Takeaways & Recommendations
  • Appendix

Since 1989, The Hartman Group has mapped consumers' evolutions, adoptions and aspirations in the environmental and social values marketplace. We have seen that a great many consumers believe their purchase decisions are at least as important as their votes in effecting social change, and in many instances, they feel their purchasing power has a greater impact on society than their voting.