Sustainability Shapes More Consumer Shopping Habits

Monday, April 15, 2019 - 10:16 by Graham Miller

Brits are buying more products based on their eco-friendliness rather than any other factors, according to the latest report from GlobalWebIndex.

Analysts found that 42 per cent of respondents to the survey were actively making buying decisions according to the sustainability of the materials involved, whether in terms of the product itself or the packaging that is used to house it.

More than half of those questioned said that they had decided to cut back on the volumes of single-use plastic that they were getting through in the past year, with the impact of a major campaign spearheaded by David Attenborough being seen as key to this shift.

The report also investigated the extent to which the cost of products will impact upon their attractiveness even if they are not especially sustainable in nature. The over-55s involved in the study were more likely to put a low price ahead of an eco-friendly design than their under 24-year-old counterparts.

This indicates that the upcoming generations are more attuned to the environmental impact of their consumer habits, whether when carrying out safe shopping online or heading to the high street.

Experts took steps to check up on how appropriately informed consumers feel that they are at the moment when it comes to making sustainable buying decisions, with less than a third saying they believe that packaging does an adequate job in this respect.

Meanwhile, almost three-quarters said that affordability played a role in determining whether or not they chose to make a purchase, suggesting that this is a delicate balancing act that cannot be overlooked by retailers.

Manufacturers and shopping firms are facing not only a growing level of environmental consciousness amongst their customers but also stricter regulations which will force their hand when it comes to improving sustainability.