Research says 80 per cent of UK Shoppers think they’re ‘Environmentally Friendly’

The latest industry report from Shoppercentric, a leading independent shopper research consultancy, has been launched today. The research, entitled: ‘WindowOn…Shoppers and Sustainability’ was carried out across 1018 UK shoppers aged 18+ from a nationally represented sample and explores the relationship shoppers have with sustainability – how they define it, look for these items and what would encourage them to purchase more. The research reveals that being ‘green’ has become the norm – with 80 per cent of UK shoppers now describing themselves as being ‘environmentally friendly’ and 82 per cent claim to consider ‘environmentally friendly’ labelling within their purchase decisions. A further 59 per cent also claim to actively avoid particular types of packaging.

Interestingly those aged 75+ are displaying more environmentally friendly behaviour than the younger generations. For example, 58 per cent of this group will try to choose products packaged in an environmentally friendly way vs 40 per cent of 18-24 yr olds. Additionally, 92 per cent of 75+ yr olds would like to see paper bags replace plastic for fresh produce vs 71 per cent of 18-24 yr olds. It appears that older shoppers are quietly drawing from their experiences – living in the post-war era of real austerity – in some contrast to the more vocal call for change among the younger generation.

“We need to consider what’s required to change generational learnt behaviour – to buy necessity goods in ‘sustainable’ ways,” said Jamie Rayner, managing director at Shoppercentric. “Cost reductions are used to seek that competitive edge and as a result price has become an overriding factor in shopper’s product choice – but it doesn’t have to be that way. We believe that there is an opportunity for brands to go beyond price, and reintroduce other equally important values. Since we last looked at this area of shopper behaviour nine years ago we can see significant positive changes have occurred.”

Key discoveries include:

What does sustainability actually mean to UK shoppers?

• For the vast majority (64 per cent), it means ‘meeting the needs of the present without compromising the needs of the future generation’.
• It’s all about ‘renewable or recyclable resources’ for 46 per cent of shoppers, closely followed (with 44 per cent) by ‘human, social, environmental and economic needs’.
• It signifies being ‘environmentally friendly’ for 39 per cent.
• 35 per cent felt that it means protecting ‘people, plans and the planet equally’ and 31 per cent felt it referred to ‘protecting the oceans’.
• For 29 per cent it’s about ‘preventing climate change’.

What do shoppers perceive as sustainable spending behaviours?

• In first place with 72 per cent, is products that are sustainably sourced.
• 69 per cent of shoppers believe it is buying packaging that is recyclable.
• Avoiding buying single-use plastic was cited by 65 per cent and 62 per cent said it was buying products made in an environmentally way.
• Buying wonky fruit and vegetables (52 per cent), buying seasonal produce (44 per cent) and buying local (43 per cent) also featured high up in shoppers’ views as sustainable behaviours.

What would encourage shoppers to buy more sustainable goods?

• If there was price parity between environmentally friendly products and standard products, 64 per cent of UK shoppers said that they would buy more.
• 47 per cent said that they’d purchase more sustainable goods if they were easier to locate in-store – compared with 45 per cent in 2010.
• Local councils recycling more and more choice in-store would encourage 42 per cent to a purchase these products.
• Reassurance that these types of products were as good as standard ones would see 34 per cent of shoppers changing over to sustainable goods (compared with 36 per cent in 2010).
• A change in legislation would persuade 28 per cent of shoppers (versus 24 per cent in 2010).
• Finally, 24 per cent of shoppers said that more awareness of the impact of buying sustainable products and knowing which stores sell them would influence their spending – compared with 25 per cent in 2010.

How can retailers win shoppers’ hearts ethically?

• Enable shoppers to buy loose fruit and veg in order to reduce plastic waste – 29 per cent say that they always look to make their purchases this way.
• Try to avoid single use plastic in general – a preference for 42 per cent of shoppers.
• Look to use easy-to-recycle packaging options – chosen frequently by 43 per cent of shoppers.
• Work towards banning non-recyclable packaging – a desire for two-thirds of shoppers who want the choice taken out of their hands completely.

Do shoppers look for sustainability labelling on goods?

• 96 per cent of shoppers said that they had seen sustainable labels on food and drink items. This dropped to 64 per cent on household goods and just 38 per cent had noticed this type of labelling on clothing items.
• Sustainability packaging descriptors were seen on food and drink items by 93 per cent of shoppers and on 71 per cent of household goods.
• The sustainable label noticed the most is Fairtrade – 81 per cent of shoppers (an increase of 13 per cent since 2010). Free-range came in second place – up seven per cent from 2010 to 79 per cent this year. Organic labels took third place with 75 per cent – up ten per cent since 2010. Interestingly FarmAssured (the red tractor logo) have been very successful in raising their awareness over the last nine years – with visibility up from 32 to 52 per cent. But awareness does not automatically lead to action – the research indicated that only 22 per cent of shoppers actively look for the red tractor when shopping.

Rayner concludes: “As environmental commentators have been pointing out, sustainability isn’t just about buying the right things, it’s also about buying less. For shoppers, there’s still a long way to go, but the desire to do the ‘right thing’ is clearly there – however, the difficulty is understanding how shoppers match their desire for change, with actual changes in their behaviour.

It’s clear from our research that shoppers need more help from manufacturers, retailers and the government. They need guidance to see the ‘right’ products in-store, highlighting those that will make a difference and help to differentiate between the options: emotionally rather than rationally.”