More than a third of consumers are now actively engaged in “purposeful purchasing” when they shop, a new survey funded by Unilever has found.
It’s the shift from simply talking to about being more sustainable and environmentally friendly to being so that is the most striking finding, say the consumer behaviour experts who conducted the survey (Europanel and Flamingo).
33% of the 20,000 consumers polled said they would “actively choose” to buy brands they considered were doing social or environmental good. More than one in five said they would be prompted to products that proclaimed their sustainability credentials on pack and in advertising.
The survey showed that trend for “purchase-led purchasing” was strongest among consumers in developing economies. For example, while just over half of shoppers in Britain and 78% in America said they felt better when they bought sustainably produced products, the figure rose to 88% for India and 85% for Brazil and Turkey. Unilever speculates that having direct experience of the negative impacts of unsustainable practices – water shortages, poverty, flooding and poor air quality – may make people even keener ethical shoppers.
