The ‘Greta effect’ is rubbing off on brands both big and small. And she’s not the only high profile person putting the planet first. Brands that have yet to act upon this cultural shift could do worse than look at the example being set by the entertainment industry.

In September, musician Billie Eilish announced that her next tour will be “as green as possible”: no plastic straws, fans bringing refillable water bottles, a zone that educates about the climate crisis.

Likewise, in 2019, one of the world’s biggest music festivals, Glastonbury, kiboshed single-use plastic water bottles making way for brands utilising sustainable packaging such as CanO Water, a brand created in response to the damaging impact plastic has on the environment.

Performers are even turning their attention to merchandise insisting on ethically sourced materials and manufacturing.

Local brands that weren’t already thinking of their impact on the environment will do well to take a leaf from the entertainment industry, particularly as the bushfires that continue to sweep across the country move the concern to the top of their to-do list.

While donations from brands to the bushfire relief are welcome and demonstrate good corporate citizenship, expect this to be only the start of how the crisis will impact businesses. We can no longer ignore how our businesses affect the planet and the bigger the brand, the greater the responsibility to manage their impact.

It’s worth bearing in mind that figures such as Greta and Billie are the spokespeople for a new generation of environmentally conscious consumers who will soon be entering the workforce in droves. When they do, we can be confident they will vote with their wallets to endorse the brands that have actioned the learnings of the ‘Greta effect’.