Omo adheres to sustainability to impact society

Present in the Top of the Top category of the Datafolha survey for 29 consecutive years, Omo won for the first time the Environment category of Folha Top of Mind last year, when it tied with the historical champions Ypê and Natura.

The award was the result of years of investment in the theme, according to Vinicius Menezes, the brand’s senior marketing manager, who emphasizes the attention to align the products’ performance with the mission of taking care of the future. “This is the result of the transformation of our processes and products to meet the needs of consumers in a sustainable way”, says the executive.

Among the measures taken, Omo changed the formula of its products in 2019 to start using biodegradable ingredients and announced last year the launch of new packaging made of sustainable paper.

In addition, the Unilever brand has made a long-term commitment to removing more plastics from the environment than is used in its factories.

For the future, Menezes comments that the brand must remain attentive to consumer consumption habits, citing the investment in partnerships with digital content creators to strengthen the connection between Omo and the public. According to the executive, “It is important to have relevant figures that strengthen and multiply the messages we want to convey, impacting more and more people.”

Folha – What is the balance of the impact of the pandemic on business?

Vinicius Menezes – The main change in habits that this moment promoted in the Brazilian market is the appreciation and desire that consumers have to have brands that make a difference in their homes. During the pandemic, we evolved Omo’s purpose to “The Power of sOMOs”, and reinforced this movement in a series of initiatives that showed the power of the collective and that together we could build a better future.

We support major actions such as Criança Esperança, which is in line with all the values ​​we believe in, transforming the lives of thousands of children through education. We have also made rapid progress in the sustainability of our products, as a way of positively impacting society, and the reflection of this is that today we include more recycled plastic in our packaging and the assets in our formula are biodegradable.

How does the company work on the issue of sustainability?

Omo has been following this consumer concern and, therefore, we have been researching and transforming our products for years to deliver performance and care for the future in a single formula. In March 2019, we changed the concentration of products and since then we have started using biodegradable ingredients and transforming used packaging into new products, showing that it is possible to take care of clothes and the planet at the same time.

What are Omo’s sustainability goals?

We have already achieved one of our targets set for 2025 by putting 25% more recycled plastic in our packaging. We also have a long-term commitment to removing more plastic from the environment than we put in, ensuring that consumers will have, in an affordable way, the best product performance combined with care for the future.

Omo announced in 2021 the launch of packaging made from sustainable paper. Are there more initiatives on the horizon?

Reducing plastic is undoubtedly one of our biggest concerns and, therefore, we have increasingly sought innovations for our packaging. With the launch of Omo para Diluir, for example, we reduced the use of virgin plastic, adopting more recycled plastic in its composition.

Omo has been in the Top of the Top since 1993 and, last year, won the Trust and Environment categories. In your opinion, what explains this history?

Vinicius Menezes – It is a reason to be very proud to be present in the Top do Top for another year, even more so when this recognition comes in the category related to trust and sustainability. This is a result of transforming our processes and products to meet consumer needs in a sustainable way. Thus, we positively impact society, taking care of the present to have a better and cleaner future.

How does the accuracy of Datafolha’s research help Omo?

We are a democratic brand, we talk to all audiences and, therefore, the granularity of this information is extremely important for us to be able to connect with our consumers. The information revealed in the Datafolha survey are strong indicators of the route for Omo’s strategies because, through them, we are able to verify that we are talking to people of all profiles. We know that to have this adherence, to be at the Top of the Top, it is necessary to constantly innovate and bring solutions and messages that make a positive difference in the lives of all people, but that also meet specific needs.

What drives Omo’s campaigns?

Omo’s campaigns and actions are guided by the consumption habits and conversations in which the consumer is inserted. We are aware of what they have been consuming on social media and on television. It’s no wonder that we hacked the “Oh No!” super trend, taking the audio to the new Omo Lavagem Perfeita commercial and reinforcing the product’s “claims”, showing that the moment to wash clothes can be “Oh Yes”. We also invaded the soap opera Pantanal and appropriated the “pantanês” to also organically and spontaneously reinforce the main attribute of the product, in a format that generates a lot of identification with the approach to the public.

What are the forecasts for the market?

The influence market is always on the rise and, therefore, we are closing a “squad” of content creators, who bring representation and reinforce Omo’s link with the public. Through these personalities, we want to convey in each content the purposes we defend in the brand. It is important to have relevant figures that strengthen and multiply the messages we want to convey, impacting more and more people.