The importance of sustainability for consumer decisions
In the Guide to Next Study 2024, the consultancy Publicis Sapient investigates the importance consumers attach to corporate sustainability and how brands can benefit from sustainable business practices. For the study, 8,830 consumers from Germany, France, Sweden, the UK, the USA and Australia were surveyed.
The trend towards sustainability defies the crisis
More and more consumers are buying sustainable products, even if their prices are rising. The vast majority of consumers worldwide want to maintain or even increase their sustainable behavior despite slightly rising costs. For example, 58 % of respondents worldwide (DE 57 %) want to maintain their sustainable purchasing behavior. More than a quarter (Global & DE 26 %) want to buy more sustainable products, even if they become slightly more expensive. More than a third of consumers (37 %) stated that they had bought more sustainable products in the last five years. In an international comparison, significantly more respondents from the UK (44 %) stated that they had bought more sustainable products in this period, followed by Australian consumers (41 %). Germany is just below the average with 35%. Worldwide, significantly more women than men buy products because they are sustainable. 62 % of women stated that they sometimes, often or always buy sustainable products. For men, the figure is only 53 %. Of all age groups, millennials (60 %) and members of Generation Z (61 %) are most likely to buy sustainable products.
More than half of US consumers (56 %) rarely or never buy products because they are sustainable. In contrast, German, Australian and French consumers are significantly more likely to buy sustainable products. More than one in five German consumers (21 %) and 18 % of French and Australian consumers often or always buy products because they are sustainable.
The need for transparent sustainability practices in companies
Greenwashing has shaken consumer confidence. Companies need to be transparent and authentic about their sustainability activities to regain trust. Globally, more than a third of consumers consider sustainable practices to be important, with women and younger generations holding this belief much more strongly than older generations. While 40 % of consumers expect brands to state the environmental impact of their products, the majority of respondents (66 %) also indicated that they do not trust sustainability labeling, particularly sustainability certifications. Australian (41 %) and Swedish (40 %) consumers have the highest trust in sustainability labeling and certification of products, while German (27 %) and US (33 %) consumers have the lowest.
Half of consumers (50 %) stated that they trust companies that disclose their procurement and production methods. This is more important to them than sustainability seals and certifications (34 %). Respondents are also more willing to support companies that use renewable energy sources (61 %) and invest in social and environmental engagement (48 %). Consumers attach the least importance to sustainability certifications from organizations such as Fair Trade or USDA Organic. Less than a third of consumers (Global 31 %, DE 28 %) stated that certifications are important to them when assessing the sustainability of a company.
Sustainability as a path to the future
Sustainability will be a strategic imperative in the future. Consumers expect brands to make long-lasting products and reduce waste. 88 % of German consumers (90 %) believe that companies should focus on end-to-end sustainable business models rather than just offering sustainable product lines. The three corporate sustainability practices that consumers worldwide value most are making durable products (52 %), reducing packaging material (52 %) and reducing production waste, including reducing water consumption and the use of plastic (47 %).
French consumers understand and value advanced sustainability practices such as local sourcing to reduce transportation emissions (FR 54 %, DE 41 %) and the application of circular economy principles such as upcycling and reuse (FR 46 %, DE 36 %) significantly more than respondents from other countries. US consumers value the sustainability practices of companies significantly less overall. Almost one in four US respondents (23 %) stated that none of the practices mentioned were important to them. More than half of consumers worldwide (54 %) believe that sustainable companies will perform better than non-sustainable companies in the future. Consumers in the UK (61 %), Australia (60 %) and France (59 %) are more likely to agree with this statement than consumers in the US (46 %), Germany (45 %) or Sweden (52 %).
Source: www.publicissapient.com
