Shifting values
As the flow of information increases, so does the desire for sovereignty. The opportunity for organic companies and brands is that consumers identify with their value concepts.
As the digital transformation process continues to advance, a cultural shift is emerging: The increasing flow of information is creating a need for more sovereignty among consumers. This development goes hand in hand with a desire for more clarity and transparency.
Futurologist Max Thinius explains the background to these developments. And with its congress theme “Organic. Food Sovereignty. True Prices.”, the programme for BIOFACH, the World’s Leading Trade Fair for Organic Food, offers ideal points of reference for this discussion.
How is digitalization shaping our values and consequently, our society and culture? How is this affecting our behaviour, including our day-to-day shopping decisions? And what opportunities are there for organic brands, in whose DNA certain values are firmly embedded? Max Thinius answers these questions for BIOFACH.
Find out all the latest trends and information on industry developments live at BIOFACH and VIVANESS from 14 to 17 February 2023 at the trade fair and congress.
It’s time to actively reshape our self-image
Increasing numbers of consumers are questioning how food affects them and the environment. A database on the origins and quality of food can be helpful when it comes to making purchasing decisions or choosing food. “The availability of more and more data is giving us back the ability to decide for or against a product in line with our own values – and enabling us to rely less on advertising-driven information. The more we know about products and their manufacturing processes – and in this context, the data collected due to increasing digitalisation simply play a key role – the better we can determine whether what has been done is also right for us as people and for the natural environment,” explains futurologist Max Thinius. An increasing flow of information brings with it the need for more sovereignty among consumers. The current crises are also making many people feel insecure, increasing this desire for more individual responsibility, accompanied by clarity and transparency.[1]
This offers a great opportunity for organic products especially, as consumers increasingly identify with the value systems of organic companies and brands. Such firms practice ecological and social responsibility, do business sustainably while sparing resources, interact fairly with the Global South and consistently focus on human beings and nature. If this commitment is communicated transparently, even more consumers will opt for organic products in the future, Max Thinius predicts.
