HERITAGE
Heritage brands aren’t just keepers of culture – they’re leading the charge in sustainable innovation. From eco-friendly products to responsible licensing, these trusted institutions prove that legacy and sustainability are inseparable.
TRUSTED BY TIME AND LEADING WITH RESPONSIBILITY
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ot only are they a staple of the licensing industry, but heritage brands are also a staple of our culture and the way we interact with both the history and current state of our world. Which is perhaps why they lend themselves so well to sustainability action and ambition, leading the way in environmentally conscious product creation. This couldn’t be clearer than when talking to some of the heritage brands across the POC community, including the Natural History Museum, the Eden Project, the RSPB, the Van Gogh Museum, the Zoological Society of London (ZSL), and Cambridge University. A heritage brand is defined by its purpose and responsibilities: to safeguard, conserve and protect something considered significant or important to humanity. Whether that be artworks, institutions, historical artefacts, or indeed the natural world itself, with its biodiversity, its lost or
endangered species, or the habitats and ecosystems we rely on for our very way of life. This is the task that heritage brands work to carry out – and the public trusts them to do so, and have trusted them to do so, often for many generations – building an intertwined relationship between people and these brands that they know and respect.
ABOVE: Eden and Hynos’ plant-based mattress range. Credit: Eden Project.
BUILDING LONG-TERM CONSUMER CONNECTION As Eva Derksen, head of licensing at the Van Gogh Museum, articulates: “At their core, heritage brands are built on long-term values like quality, care, and cultural responsibility. This often translates into a strategy that looks beyond short-term trends and quick profits. “As a museum and heritage brand, we feel a responsibility to preserve and protect our heritage, not just historically, but also in how we operate today. Sustainability is part of that responsibility. After all, a heritage brand only survives if it LEFT: The Eden Project Biomes in Cornwall. Credit: Eden Project.
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