In the evolving landscape of pet care, Hugo Galvao de Franca Filho, the visionary founder and CEO of Enjoy Pets, has witnessed a remarkable transformation in sustainability. What was once merely a pleasant conversation starter has now become a critical consideration for a significant number of pet owners when making purchasing decisions. This trend is not just a passing phase; it has taken on a new dimension that compels pet e-commerce brands to rethink their strategies.
A trend that is measurably real
Pet owners are already ahead of the average shopper on this front. Sixty-two percent of pet parents reported buying an environmentally conscious product in the month before being surveyed, compared to forty-six percent of people without pets. The belief system behind that behavior runs deep too, with the large majority of pet owners saying both individuals and companies bear responsibility for addressing climate impact.
For a category that produces an enormous volume of plastic food and treat packaging every year, most of it with no real end-of-life recycling path, that combination of belief and buying behavior has made sustainable packaging a legitimate business consideration rather than a marketing afterthought.
The twist most brands haven’t caught up to yet
Here is the part that changes the calculation. Industry analysis heading into 2026 points to a specific shift: products marketed on sustainability claims alone are starting to underperform on shelf, particularly as economic pressure makes shoppers more selective about what justifies a premium price. What is still working, and working well, are products that connect sustainability to a benefit the customer already cares about directly, most often health or product quality, rather than treating the environmental angle as the entire pitch.
In other words, Hugo Galvao de Franca Filho comments that a pet owner increasingly wants to know not just that a bag is recyclable, but that the product inside it is also genuinely better for their pet. A green claim with nothing else behind it is losing its pull. A green claim attached to a real quality story is not.
Why this distinction matters more now, not less
Regulatory pressure is pushing in the same direction. Sustainability claims are facing tighter scrutiny in multiple markets, which means vague statements about being eco-friendly increasingly need real data behind them, covering things like actual packaging composition or sourcing practices, rather than a general assurance printed on the label.
As defended by Hugo Galvao de Franca Filho, a brand that cannot back up a sustainability claim with specifics is exposed to exactly the kind of skepticism this shift is creating among shoppers who have grown wary of vague green marketing after years of seeing it used loosely.
What this means for a pet e-commerce brand’s next move
The lesson is not that sustainability stops mattering. It is that sustainability works best as a supporting argument rather than the headline. A pet business investing in recyclable or refillable packaging gets more return from framing that choice alongside something tangible, like fresher ingredients, better portion control, or a formulation genuinely improved for a pet’s health, than from leading with the packaging claim in isolation. Being specific and honest about what has actually changed, rather than reaching for general language, also protects a brand as scrutiny of these claims keeps increasing.
For a category where pet owners already show up more willing than average shoppers to act on this trend, the businesses that will benefit most are the ones treating sustainability as one part of a stronger overall product story, not a substitute for one.
Hugo Galvao de Franca Filho has approached this balance carefully at Enjoy Pets, treating sustainable choices as something that should reinforce product quality rather than replace the conversation about it. More on that approach is available at www.enjoypets.com.br.