This year’s SupplySide West Expo in Las Vegas stood out as a remarkable reflection of both the event and the city’s evolving identity. Once known for excess and waste, Las Vegas has transformed into a leader in sustainability, investing millions in green initiatives since 2005. Today, the city ranks second in the U.S. for solar capacity per capita, a testament to its commitment to eco-conscious growth1. Just as the city has embraced sustainability, the stateside trade event mirrored this shift, showcasing innovations that align with increasing demand for more responsible solutions and marketing in the health and wellness industry.
The show, which drew more than 20,000 participants and 1,500 exhibiting companies, embraced eco-friendly minimalism: plush carpets and elaborate stands were gone, replaced by industrial floors, smaller stands and natural materials. The move wasn’t just about aesthetics but the market appetite in the US – a deliberate statement about conservation, right down to the pledge to replant trees at the show across Nevada. Minimalism prevailed on the show floor too, with clean label formulation emerging as a key trend.
A tale of two continents
At SupplySide West 2024, sustainability wasn’t just part of the conversation – it was leading it. The explicit celebration of environmental credentials was notably different from what we saw at European trade shows this year, with sustainability not a marketing angle in and of itself, but rather a baseline expectation that’s foundational to the region’s nutraceutical and dietary supplement industry.
This divergence reflects Europe’s long-standing leadership in sustainable business practices, driven by stringent regulations, higher consumer demand for ethical products and widespread corporate adoption of environmental initiatives. The US market, however, presents a different picture – one that offers unique opportunities for B2B marketers. While this might reflect the historically less stringent US regulatory environment, it also reveals a market in transition. American consumers are increasingly prioritising sustainability over price, according to Harvard Business Review research, with 66% now willing to pay more for sustainable products.2 For US businesses, this growing public awareness presents an opportunity to gain competitive advantage through sustainability credentials, particularly as corporate ESG focus intensifies and regulatory pressure mounts to match European standards.
Leverage clean label’s dual sustainability benefits
The contrast between the European and US markets goes beyond booth design and into product development and marketing strategies. The global consumer movement against ultra-processed products has propelled the clean-labelling trend to new heights,3,4 building on its association with organic, additive- and GMO-free, natural and sustainable ingredients.5
For B2B marketers, this is a prime opportunity to review their nutraceutical portfolios, spotlight products that meet clean-label standards, showcase natural preservation techniques and emphasise simplified, shorter ingredient lists. In the US particularly, marketers can make sustainability and clean label a central part of their value proposition – for instance, demonstrating how removing synthetic ingredients benefits both human and environmental health. European communications, meanwhile, might focus more on the specific functional benefits while weaving clean label credentials more subtly into the broader product story.
Gain ground with natural weight loss alternatives to pharmaceuticals
Natural alternatives to pharmaceutical solutions were prominent on the show floor, which is likely a response to the recent GLP-1 phenomenon. Since its FDA approval for weight management in June 2021, Wegovy (semaglutide) – also known as Ozempic – has become a social media sensation, with related videos garnering over 250 million views on TikTok.6 Inaccessibility to the ‘elitist’ solution, including global supply shortages and costs of around $1,400 per month, has created significant market opportunities for natural alternatives.
Recent market analyses suggest there’s a growing appetite for plant-based weight management solutions, with analysts at SNS Insider predicting the weight loss drugs market will grow at a 43.73% CAGR through 2032.7 The trend was evident at SupplySide West show floor, where exhibitors showcased plant-based alternatives such as luteolin, which can be used to block the harmful effects of fructose and support metabolic health.7 For B2B marketers, this opens up opportunities to position natural ingredients as both sustainable and effective solutions, particularly in the US where such messaging is gaining ground and where consumers are increasingly seeking more accessible alternatives to the novel medication.
Source ingredients take the spotlight
Perhaps most telling was the shift in ingredient marketing focus. Rather than specific nutrients or purported health benefits being the topic of conversation, the emphasis was on recognisable source ingredients, such as seaweed and mushroom. Seaweed has seen a remarkable 8.7% increase in CAGR, driven by the increased awareness of environmental benefits and nutritional properties,8 while Chaga and Reishi mushrooms alone have shown growth rates of 72% and 53% respectively.9 The surge aligns with growing consumer understanding of mycelium networks’ holistic benefits, demonstrated by the popularity of books like ‘Mycelium Running: How Mushrooms Can Help Save The World’ and TV shows such as Netflix’s ‘Fantastic Fungi’.
Now is an exciting moment for marketers to redefine the narrative to celebrate the complete nutritional profile and sustainability story of source ingredients. Rather than marketing a product purely for its vitamin A content, for example, instead showcase the ecological and nutritional benefits of the carrot-based recipe.
Use conservation to drive competitive edge
SupplySide West 2024 revealed how sustainability is evolving from a mere marketing message into a powerful driver of product development and brand differentiation in the US. While European markets have integrated sustainability so deeply it’s implicit, the US market’s more overt approach to environmental messaging allows marketers to spark conversations about their conservation-driven innovation.
The key to success lies in recognising that sustainability isn’t only environmental claims – it’s about crafting narratives that resonate with both business and consumer priorities. When marketing clean label products, emphasise how removing synthetic ingredients creates a dual benefit: better human health outcomes and reduced environmental impact. For natural weight management solutions, focus on natural origins and holistic wellness rather than competing directly with GLP-1s. With source ingredients like mushrooms and seaweed, tell the complete story, spanning minimal environmental footprint and regenerative growing practices to comprehensive nutritional profiles.
Communicating these multi-layered stories – that combine sustainability credentials with tangible business advantages – will help B2B marketers capitalise on the market’s moment and position their businesses as industry leaders that are pioneering a more mindful future.
- BBC News, “’Sin City Could Be Called Solar City’: How Las Vegas Is Going Green,” BBC Future, November 1, 2024, https://www.bbc.co.uk/future/article/20241101-how-las-vegas-is-becoming-a-sustainable-city. ↩︎
- Ashley Reichheld, John Peto, and Cory Ritthaler, “Research: Consumers’ Sustainability Demands Are Rising,” Harvard Business Review, September 12, 2023, https://hbr.org/2023/09/research-consumers-sustainability-demands-are-rising. ↩︎
- Pedersen A. The New Science on What Ultra processed Food Does to Your Brain. March 11, 2024. https://www.wsj.com/health/wellness/ultra-processed-food-brain-health-7a3f9827 ↩︎
- Garwood G. The Food Institute. Clean Label Takes Center Stage as Ultra-Processed Stigma Grows. April 2. 2024. https://foodinstitute.com/focus/clean-label-takes-center-stage-as-ultra-processed-stigma-grows/ ↩︎
- Innova Market Insights. Clean Label Trends: Global Market Overview. https://www.innovamarketinsights.com/trends/clean-label-trends/ ↩︎
- diaTribe, “How Ozempic Became a Celebrity Weight Loss Sensation,” November 7, 2022. ↩︎
- USA News Group, “Health and Wellness Sector Sees New Opportunities in Weight Loss Drug Market,” October 24, 2024. ↩︎
- “Seaweed Market by Product Type (Red, Brown and Green), and Application (Food, Medicines, Chemical & Fertilizers, Animal Feed Additives, Building Materials and Energy Sources): Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2024-2033 ↩︎
- Nicole Johnson, “Insights and Innovation Presentation” (presentation, Vitafoods Europe 2024, Geneva, Switzerland, May 2024). ↩︎
