Attempting to neatly describe today’s consumer is as dangerous as making broad characterizations of generational classes. Millennials aren’t always spoiled idealists. And the rest of us don’t always want to pay less and get more. But sometimes they are. And sometimes we do. The forces that drive our choices as consumers are as complex as we are. Yet despite how we (sometimes) behave, our “best selves” truly want the best for ourselves, others and our world. We may not always be purely ethical consumers, but a wealth of new access to information means we are becoming much more informed. Found within the complexity of the “I do what I do” phenomenon, there is a growing expectation for consumables that pose a minimal impact on human and environmental health. And an equally growing expectation that our systems of government – of law and order – will embrace the most scientifically sound way to keep us safe from harm.
Meeting these expectations is no new task in the coatings industry, where consumers blend superficial needs with pragmatic and meaningful wellness demands, and where countries are establishing new health and safety standards that require the coatings industry to continue its long history of successful re-invention and social responsibility.