Trends in sustainable and positive impact products

By offering new ways to shop for people focused on personal, social, and environmental well-being, Mercado Libre's Sustainable Products section has seen remarkable growth. Since last year, more than 4.8 million positive-impact products have been sold in Latin America, a 26% increase compared to 2023.

Catering to these consumers, businesses focused on generating a positive impact have been recording strong sales on Mercado Libre. In the skincare and well-being products category, for example, growth reached 500% between mid-2023 and 2024.

What challenges do these entrepreneurs face in standing out and getting their products to consumers in the right way? This was the focus of the conversation between Laura Motta, Senior Sustainability Manager at Mercado Libre, Maria Eduarda Camargo, co-founder of Pantys, and Vivian Chun, founder of Moma Natural, at Mercado Libre Experience 2024. Held on September 24 and 25 in São Paulo (SP), the event brought together more than 15 stakeholders, experts and sellers in a deep dive into the Mercado Libre ecosystem. Leading industry speakers shared valuable insights and content to help entrepreneurs selling on the platform thrive.

During the conversation, the entrepreneurs were invited to share their views on the challenges and opportunities for those who decide to position themselves in the sustainable products market, as well as on the new consumption habits of Brazilians, who increasingly seek sustainable products in their daily lives.

“Sustainability has always been on the minds of consumers,” says Maria Eduarda (Duda), elected one of the 500 most influential people in Latin America by Bloomberg. Her company, Pantys, was founded with the aim of transforming and innovating the menstrual cycle, offering reusable products for all stages of a woman's life, from her first period to menopause.

Speaking about the pioneering nature of this approach, Duda told us a little about the beginnings of the business. “Since we were going to launch a new product category in Brazil, we felt it was important to conduct market research. We realized that, in our segment, 90% of people were dissatisfied with the product options that existed at the time, which were all disposable,” she adds.

Pantys's bet was spot on and the business has been growing year after year. According to Duda, the demand for sustainable products grew even more after the pandemic, when more people started paying attention to their consumption habits, seeking healthier alternatives with less environmental impact. “The market is changing and even large companies need to reposition themselves to align with current consumer behavior,” she says.

The growing market for sustainable products still faces a number of challenges. Among them is the idea that products with a positive impact are more expensive than conventional ones.

Vivian Chun, founder of the natural cosmetics company Moma, which uses Brazilian biodiversity ingredients to develop clean beauty cosmetics, believes that design, brand positioning and communication are the best tools to debunk this myth. “Design reflects the added value of our products. When people buy something, they know that behind that product there is income generation, development and preservation,” she explains.

Contributing to the generation of income for traditional peoples, Moma works with more than 10 production links, plus 240 families in 16 different municipalities in the Amazon and promotes the sustainable use of 1.4 million hectares of forest. “When consumers understand the difference in the positive effect of sustainable products, they are willing to pay a fair price to feed an entire chain of care and regeneration,” she states.

Commitment to product quality and durability are differentiators that both Vivian and Duda claim are keywords in communicating with consumers, encouraging them to look at the long term and understand the real value of what they buy.

Maintaining an open dialogue with consumers, through surveys or social media, has been key to the entrepreneurs' success. "Bringing them closer is a great way to generate insights, both for developing new products and for improving those we already have," says Duda. Vivian believes that, in addition to this ongoing dialogue, successful entrepreneurs must maintain good planning and always be open to listening and learning. "Those who start a business need to have a clear direction and their feet on the ground," she says.

The growth of Moma and Pantys' businesses has been backed by online sales. E-commerce is, therefore, a strong ally of sustainable businesses, enabling more people to have access to conscious consumption alternatives. Both brands are present in physical points of sale, but online sales stand out. At Pantys, for example, they represent 70% of revenue.

“Today, 54% of Mercado Libre consumers prefer to buy sustainable products,” says Laura Motta, highlighting the potential of e-commerce for impact entrepreneurs. With around 900 thousand items available, the Sustainable Products section is present in six countries and has more than 30 product categories, such as fashion, conscious eating and personal care.

Click here to learn more about the Sustainable Products section and how to join in.