How Is The Green Agenda Impacting Consumers?
We look at some of the larger surveys that have been carried out in 2022 to get a better idea of what customers think.
31/01/2023
Over the past few years there has been a significant change in commercial attitudes towards sustainability. With concerns about the worsening state of the environment, new legislation pushing businesses to adapt and brands in every industry promoting a greener image, businesses are eager to discover how the green agenda is impacting consumers. We look at some of the larger surveys that have been carried out in 2022 to get a better idea of what customers think.
Prioritising sustainability
According to a survey conducted by the IBM Institute for Business Value (IBV) around 93% of people felt that the pandemic had influenced their views regarding sustainability. This is also coupled with the many environmental issues that have been put into the spotlight by the media.
51% said that environmental sustainability is more important than it was 12 months previously, with their actions also matching their intent, which is an important development.
Around the same percentage of consumers would be willing to pay more for a sustainable brand or sustainable products. An average of around 59% say that over the past 12 months they have actually paid a premium price in 2022 for sustainable products or those that are socially responsible.
Issues preventing more consumers from using sustainable products
Factors such as income, where people live and
how they are told about their options all
influence someone’s ability to make sustainable
choices. However, there are other barriers that
can be removed by brands to increase customer
engagement.
For example, if consumers
believed they were receiving better value,
greater quality and more information about the
product, this would influence them to spend more
on sustainable products.
It demonstrates that there is a large area of unmet customer demand for more sustainable choices. Brands that can clearly communicate the environmental and financial impact of their green initiatives stand a better chance of attracting purpose-driven consumers searching for these types of products.
A change in lifestyle behaviour
A growing number of consumers are being more proactive in adopting a sustainable lifestyle, which often starts at home with recycling, reducing food waste or composting waste. Once behaviours have altered here, the next focus is consideration about the products they buy, whether it’s reducing the number of new products they purchase or limiting consumption of single-use plastic.
For example, greener packaging options are an attractive selling point for consumers, as it ties into their beliefs about recycling. It’s why compostable shrink wrap is becoming such a popular choice in a wide range of sectors, offering a more environmentally friendly choice for manufacturers and suppliers. This is a particularly useful product, especially when it comes to reducing the carbon footprint of supply chains, an issue that urgently needs to be addressed.
According to a survey conducted by Deloitte, as many as 75% of consumers have recycled or composted waste at home in the past 12 months. 64% have also limited their consumption of single-use plastic, while other notable areas of change include buying more locally sourced products, reducing air travel and lowering their consumption of meat and animal products.
Consumers are becoming more socially aware when it comes to buying clothes and footwear. This extends into how many clothes you buy, purchasing second hand or refurbished clothes, repairing clothes and picking brands based on their sustainability.
How customers make the sustainable right choices for them
The Deloitte study also asked participants what they considered to be a sustainable product. Most people indicated that it should either be made from recycled material or be biodegradable, with minimal packaging, carbon neutrality, responsible sourcing also featuring highly. Durability also factors into the equation when it comes to making a purchase, along with repairability.
Regarding grocery shopping, customers place high value in sustainable packaging, along with the product’s carbon footprint and reducing waste. Concerns about human rights and ethical working practices related to clothes and footwear prominently feature, as do the buying and delivering of takeaways.
Final thoughts
One major area of concern raised by both surveys mentioned in this article is an overall lack of trust by consumers in brands. Many either don't know what to trust or say that no matter what a brand says about their commitment to climate change issues, they will not believe them. So, while there are things brands can do to improve the promotion of their sustainable products, winning customer’s trust will be the key to ensuring that consumer buying patterns can be changed on a much larger scale.
Transform your product packaging
Kempner is always looking for ways to evolve and update our sustainable packaging solutions, including efficiency shrinkwrap packaging machinery, utilising decades of industry experience to ensure our customers have some of the best products on the market. We offer compostable shrink wrap and a host of environmentally friendly options that could be just the change you are looking for. Get in touch with our team today to find out more.