The beauty industry, much like the rest of the world, is committed to becoming more sustainable. Often, brands push their sustainability efforts through influencers and brand partners on social media, hoping to resonate with consumers and encourage them to make more ethical choices. 70% of consumers take influencers' opinions into consideration when making a purchase, and a further 83% see sustainability as an important factor when buying a product. However, if influencers are not pushing these messages of greener living, there is sure to be a lack of consumers investing in products that care for the planet. According to a new study by Unilever, despite 60% of content creators wanting to make a positive impact on the environment, an alarming 84% are holding back from mentioning sustainability in their content for a range of reasons. BeautyMatter takes a closer look at the key findings:

• 78% of consumers claim influencers have the most significant impact on their green choices.
• 63% of influencers are creating more sustainability content this year than last year, and 76% want to make even more in the future.
• 38% of content creators avoid posting about sustainability over fears of greenwashing.
• 21% don't post about sustainability due to finding it challenging to transition from the main focus of their content to this new type of content.
• 21% feel they are not educated enough to speak on sustainability. 
• 21% do not feel they can cover the topic, as their opinions on what is or isn't sustainable can often change.
• Concerns about being canceled accounted for 18% of respondents not pushing sustainability-based content.
• 58% of influencers say they feel confused about sustainability and environmental labels.
• 91% of influencers say they would find the following advice helpful: access to content or resources on sustainable living; direct support to ask questions on sustainability briefs; support dealing with audience comments; and access to training about making trustworthy statements about the environment.

Taking note of these concerning figures, Unilever, alongside a coalition of partners including sustainability nonprofits and a new Creator Council, is calling on other brands, agencies, and technology companies to join them in their mission to inspire content creators to drive a more sustainable conversation with consumers through social media content.

The range of nonprofit partners includes individuals from worldwide climate change organization Count Us In, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Rare, and Futerra Solutions Union. The independent Creator Council is a group of creators across travel, beauty, and lifestyle industries, who have come together to advise on and shape this initiative.

"As a digital content creator, I feel a responsibility to inspire my audience with solutions that are better for our environmental and planetary health. It is crucial that brands and creators unite in this mission, dissecting science-backed information into creative storytelling that resonates with the public and influences change on a global scale. With adequate brand support, we can enhance sustainability content on social media, inform our communities accurately, and collectively contribute to a better environment," says Dr. Adanna Steinacker, digital influencer, medical doctor, and member of the newly founded Creator Council.

The coalition will work to find an industry-wide digital solution to bring together social creators, nonprofits, and like-minded brands to promote the posting of accurate and effective sustainability content, which they will ensure is built upon sequence behavior change theory to encourage consumers to make more sustainable choices. These partners are currently working to ensure that the agreed-upon solutions are in line with the very latest climate science.

"We know that sustainability content on social media has the potential to drive more sustainable behaviors, with over three-quarters of consumers claiming influencers have the biggest impact on their green choices today. But it needs to be informative and meaningful content. Climate Week NYC 2023 is the perfect opportunity to collaborate with others and empower influencers to communicate on the key issues with credibility," states Rebecca Marmot, Unilever's Chief Sustainability Officer.

According to Eric Levine, co-founder of Count Us In, public action on climate change has the power to quickly save 5% of demand-side carbon emissions (fiscal policies that involve taxation and/or government spending adjustment). "There has never been a more critical moment in history to be part of a coalition that puts creators at the heart of advancing new solutions. Using credible, science-based guidelines and behavior change theory, we have the potential to influence billions of people through the collective reach of the creator economy," he adds.

Unilever invites brands, nonprofits, and social media content creators to join the coalition by contacting Count Us In through its website. To further promote the initiative, Marmot and Şükrü Dinçer, Global Head of Digital and Sustainable Choices at Unilever, are set to join a panel of experts to discuss the findings from this study as part of Climate Week NYC 2023.