Sustainability is a Key Concern for Eco-Conscious Consumers

Yesterday, we saw that brand advertising plays a considerable role in inspiring eco-consumerism, looking at results from a study carried out by GlobalWebIndex among 2,324 internet users in the UK and U.S.A.

Today, we dive into exactly what factors consumers want brands to provide, and which product categories attract the most product research.

Even for self-reported Eco-Conscious Consumers, some product categories take priority over others for researching their production.

For both men and women, household cleaning products and personal care products are researched the most, with food (61%) close behind.

With alcohol (21%) at the bottom of our list, we can see differences even among grocery products for what products consumers want to ensure are eco-conscious. Electronic devices (49%) are a more surprising inclusion to the top 5, which suggests that drawing on eco-friendly materials in marketing them can have an impact, as well as the usual feature-led tactics.

By looking at what Eco-Conscious Consumers want in their products, we can get an idea of the current concerns consumers have for the environment.

Beyond general concern, it’s sustainability which motivates Eco-Conscious Consumers the most (74%), while being carbon-neutral (42%) is less of a priority.

Respondents to our survey place less importance on third-party certificates than general assurances about eco-conscious production, underscoring the opportunity for brands to take the initiative in their product messaging.

If we combine these two data points by forming audiences of those who research for each product category, we can unlock further insights about what consumers desire for those particular products.

Respondents who research clothes are more concerned about labour in the supply chain, whereas researchers of electronics are more concerned about the environmental effects of production. Perhaps the most revealing insight is that food researchers are the least concerned with affordability. The implication here is that Eco-Conscious Consumers are most happy to pay a premium for eco-friendly or ethically produced food.

Eco-Conscious Consumers are defined as internet users aged 16-64 who say that concern for the environment affects their day-to-day purchase behavior.