Retail Week has reported on its survey of 1,000 UK consumers examining what sustainability means to them.
It was found that sustainability considerations were likely to influence the purchases of 55% of the consumers surveyed and 63% would be more willing to shop with a retailer or brand that has made a public sustainability target or pledge. Whilst these seem respectably high figures, a surprising 35% of consumers said they either didn’t know, couldn’t think of one or were not sure which retailer was the most sustainable and only 14.2% said that they would always seek out a retailer’s sustainability credentials when visiting their website or store. Perhaps not as surprising, people aged 18 to 24 are more likely to be eco-conscious and people aged over-65s are less likely to be so than other generations.
Consumers ranked H&M, Nike, Primark, M&S and Amazon as their top five sustainable retailers/brands. Cited reasons include eco-clothing ranges, recycling schemes and the use of recycled materials, supply chain transparency, use of more sustainable means of transport (such as electric vehicles), CEOs speaking out on sustainability issues and partnering with green charities and organisations.
The overwhelming message seems to be that consumers want more information from retailers so that they can better understand their green targets and credentials. For example, consumers need more information about supply chains and greater transparency on what items/materials really are more sustainable. 49% believe that paper bags are more sustainable than plastic. However, it was found in a UK Environment Agency study that paper bags tend to have a higher carbon footprint because they require more raw materials and energy to produce and result in more waste. Consumers also want retailers to be bolder in their pledges and consider that targets to reduce environmental impact by 2030 or 2040 are not soon enough.
From a real estate perspective, despite the fact that the built environment contributes to 40% of UK carbon emissions, there was no direct mention of the many shops and warehouses these retailers use as an integral part of their businesses. It seems that, if retailers are serious about going green, they need to shout even louder about the sustainability credentials of their businesses as a whole (and not just the products they sell) in a way that gets the message to as broad a range of people as possible. Consumers generally want to do the right thing, but they need full transparency in order to do so.
The majority of consumers surveyed were found to be more likely to buy from a retailer or retail brand with strong ethical and sustainable credentials (55%)
