MOL Impacto launches the third edition of the annual ranking Guia MOL de Produtos Sociais, with the analysis of the communication of items that had part of the income donated to social or environmental causes. In total, 66 products were evaluated in 2023, to highlight the performance of five brands.
HEINEKEN was the winner among seasonal products, which are campaigns created for special periods and dates; Natura stood out in the “all year” category, actions and products sold throughout the year; Visa, in a transactional campaign, when an operation generates donations and does not involve the creation of a specific product for that purpose.
“Uma Penca”, by Chico Rei, came first in the social business category, which is developed with the purpose of causing a positive social impact.
The SP Invisível organization stood out among third sector campaigns, in which products created and marketed by a civil society organization are brought together as a way of raising financial resources to maintain the functioning of its activities.
According to the MOL Guide, social products are those whose sale generates donations to civil society organizations and strengthens a specific cause.
With an eye on conscious consumption
In the latest edition of another survey, Varejo Com Causa, developed by MOL Impacto to evaluate how retail chains drive donations, it was pointed out that consumers are increasingly concerned about social and environmental problems.
The study revealed that, in three years, from 2021 to 2023, there was an increase from 15% to 29% in the number of consumers who claim to have made donations in physical clothing, footwear and sporting goods stores. The same happened with donations made to department stores and home products (from 15% to 28%) and in restaurants (from 16% to 25%).
In 2023, fashion items and accessories were the most popular in social product campaigns, representing 39.4% of those analyzed in this edition of Guia MOL.
Next came utensils (13.6%), drinks (10.6%) and food (10.6%). Sectors such as finance, cosmetics, games, pets, services, toys, art and hygiene complete the list, which will be made available on the MOL Impacto website.
The actions resulted in donations to various causes, including cancer patients, welcoming the LGBTQIAP+ population, environmental preservation and reforestation, hospitals and access to healthcare, animal causes and education.
“This is a year of great changes for us and one of them is MOL Impacto heading the Social Products Guide for the first time, reinforcing our objective of being increasingly closer to brands and thus contributing to the popularization of the donation culture and growth of social products of all types. We believe that praising good practices helps to strengthen this market”, highlights Vanessa Henriques, manager of institutional projects at MOL Impacto and responsible for the research. “The ranking is also significant for highlighting the importance of transparency, especially in a country where distrust is one of the main barriers to establishing a culture of donation. There is a need for clarity in social product campaigns so that people can see and understand the impact of their donation”, he adds.
After the mapping carried out by MOL Impacto of the social products made available in 2023, the communication of each item was evaluated and scored from 0 to 10 according to the criteria of clarity of the mechanism and donation proposal, presentation of the product, publication of results and accountability, willingness to respond to consumer queries, innovation and positive impact.
In the second stage of evaluation, the winner among the highlights of each category is defined by the panel of judges, which this year was formed by Mariana Sgarioni, journalist specializing in corporate sustainability and ESG, Mariana Ribeiro, CEO of Clarice, impact strategist and communicator with more than ten years of experience in social and environmental mobilization projects and campaigns, Marcio Black, director of advocacy and knowledge at Instituto Beja, political scientist and cultural producer, Marcus Nakagawa, creator, founder and president of the Association Brazilian Professionals for Sustainable Development (Abraps), as well as coordinator of the ESPM Center for Socio-Environmental Development (Ceds), and completing the team, Gabriela Rodrigues, vice-president of impact at Soko, founder of WALK, columnist, teacher and judge at the largest creative awards
Check out the winning campaigns
Sazonal: Floating Bar Heineken (HEINEKEN)
Organized by the Green Your City platform, from the HEINEKEN brewery, which rethinks urban spaces in a more sustainable way, the Floating Bar opened new perspectives, perspectives and commitments on the future of Rio Pinheiros. The initiative raised around R$1 million, with part of the profit donated to six institutions to enable nature-based solutions and environmental and social education actions.
All year round: Believing is Seeing (Natura)
Natura presented Crer Para Ver as a cause that became a product. The brand was developed with the aim of contributing to the educational training of beauty consultants. Currently, all profits obtained from sales of the line are destined for education projects through the Natura Institute. In 2023, more than 12.8 thousand schools were involved in the actions, which benefited more than 4.5 million students and 451 thousand Natura beauty consultants.
Transactional: Visa Causas (Visa)
The customer chooses a cause or partner institution that they wish to support, after registering, and Visa makes a donation for each payment made with a Visa credit, debit or prepaid card. Since 2017, 496,712,204 donations have been made through Visa Causas.
Social business: A bunch (Chico Rei)
Platform online which offers a complete structure for those who want to sell fashion products and lifestylewithout worrying about production, logistics and technology, with all partners directing at least R$1 per product sold to a social project. Between 2022 and 2024, a total of R$34,433.73 was raised, resulting in actions such as the planting of 790 tree seedlings by SOS Mata Atlântica and a donation equivalent to 415 thousand liters of treated water in partnership with Global WaSH.
Third Sector: Invisible Winter (SP Invisible)
The 2023 Invisible Winter campaign made it possible to purchase a sweatshirt on site from SP Invisível, with the value reverted to the organization. The same item was also distributed to homeless people, creating a close relationship between donor and beneficiary. Last year, the NGO raised a total of R$5,518,351.75, impacting 7,298 people, combining all campaigns and donations received.
