Sustainable after-sales

Innocent are running a ‘Buy One, Plant One Tree’ promotion at the moment, which has got me thinking about sustainability and the purchase cycle. Well, very primitively; pre-purchase, and post-purchase.

Pre-purchase, we know that Innocent is a brand built upon nothing but fruit (and sustainability, amongst other things). So, at POP, overt logos on packaging such as ‘Rainforest Alliance Certified’ act as short-cut in an increasingly confused and cluttered green decision making process. Innocent do pre-purchase brilliantly.

Also, their ‘Buy One, Plant One Tree’ promotion is maybe a leaf that other brands can learn from in the form of sustainable after-sales. What is the importance of cognitive dissonance, when it comes to sustainability? Consumers often feel cognitive dissonance after a big purchase that they maybe can’t afford, or after a purchase that causes uncomfortable tension with existing value systems e.g. ‘green’. Now – is sustainable cognitive dissonance something to think about?

For example, post car, TV or holiday purchase, can brands offer an after-sales service that guides consumers through use and offer useful tips on how to enjoy their new purchase in a sustainable way? Can car brands offer a service post-purchase that offers consumers handy tips to drive their car in smarter ways e.g. pump up your tyres, de-clutter your car and don’t rev, rev, rev?


Despite the controversy, another good example of sustainable after-sales is the Energy Performance Certificate for commercial and residential dwellings. Upon moving in, you get your efficiency rating from A – G, and then offered tips to make your dwelling more CO2 efficient. Can you think of any other examples of sustainable after-sales?