The UK – How Green Are We?

 

{mosimage} + A new year, a new resolution, as the January sales get under way over half of UK shoppers are intending to spend on ethical products.

 

+ A significant amount of shoppers are tuned into green and ethical issues while out shopping. However, 31% of consumers said they didn’t care about such issues, and a further 10% admitted they felt guilty knowing that they should be concerned but carry on regardless.

 

+ Interestingly consumers who think about ethics and green issues while shopping the most are the younger (16-24 yr olds) and the older (45-54 yr olds) age groups. Analysts suggest that there is a larger proportion of ‘young idealists’ as they do not have responsibilities of work, family life and financial comments to worry about. At the other end of the scale the 45-54 age group is more likely to be able to afford the premium placed on some of these ethical and fair-trade goods.

 

+ Closer analysis reveals that women are leading the way and are ready to act on their beliefs than male consumers.

 

+ The South East and Yorkshire and Humberside are the most ethical regions in the UK with over half of shoppers purchasing ethical products.

 

+ Lawrence Hutter, partner in consulting at Deloitte, said: “This year the message to retailers and manufacturers is that consumers are increasingly aware of their individual social responsibilities. While more and more companies are introducing ‘green’ lines in a bid to ‘outgreen’ one another, companies such as Mark’s and Spencer’s with their ‘look behind the label’ campaign show this new group of customers is already a significant revenue stream.”

 

 

The table below shows what is most important to men and women while making purchase decisions:

         

Men	Women
1. Fair or ethical trading	1. Fair or ethical trading
2. Supporting local producers or shops	2. Animal Welfare
3.    Buying British	3. Supporting charity
4. Supporting charity	4. Supporting local producers or shops
5. Product safety	5. Human rights
6. Healthy eating	6. Buying British
7. Human Rights	7. Healthy Eating
8. Animal Welfare	8. Organic Ecological Products
9. Energy Efficiency	9. Product Safety
10. Environmental impact	10. Environmental impact
11. Organic Ecological Products	11. Energy Efficiency
12. Avoiding GM	12. Avoiding GM

 

With thanks to Katie at Deloitte www.deloitte.co.uk