Consumers want to shop more sustainably, but they don’t always trust brands’ messaging to help them get there.
According to Blue Yonder’s latest data, an overwhelming majority of consumers—78 percent—said they place importance on sustainability considerations when deciding to purchase a product or shop with a specific retailer.
That figure varied a bit by generation, with 85 percent of Gen Zers indicating an interest in sustainable products and practices, and 84 percent of millennials stating the same. Meanwhile, 74 percent of Gen Xers and 69 percent of Boomers noted that they value sustainability.
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Saskia van Gendt, chief sustainability officer for the supply chain company, said the generational gap could be attributable to younger consumers’ awareness around climate change earlier on in their lives.
“I’m not too surprised to see that [sustainability] is resonating most with Gen Z and the younger cohorts,” she said. “It’s probably just an awareness—they’ve grown up with it, [and] are seeing it every day in the news and around them from a very young age.”
And the data shows consumers may be putting cash behind their claims.
According to Blue Yonder, 65 percent of consumers said they would pay more for sustainable products. Two in five consumers said they would pay 5 percent more for sustainable products, while one-quarter of respondents noted they would pay an extra 10 percent or more.
Consumers have also shown an interest in more sustainable packaging and delivery options, even as the Amazon effect has caused some consumers to expect faster delivery on e-commerce purchases. About half of consumers said they would pay more for green shipping options, which included sustainable packaging and delivery that provided a lower carbon footprint.
Interestingly, that figure ticked up when a brand offered an incentive, rather than charging more. Over 80 percent of consumers said they would be willing to delay their deliveries if a company incentivized them to do so. In line with that trend, some companies, like Amazon, offer low-dollar-amount credits to consumers who opt-in to wait longer for delivery on certain products.
Van Gendt said that type of transparency into how consumer behavior can impact the environment has only begun to pop up in recent years.
“It used to be that you ordered something, and then you get told when it’s going to be delivered to you and what mode [of transportation]. Now we’re seeing a lot more flexibility and communication to the consumer about those different options,” van Gendt said. “The consumer has been brought along on that journey by starting to understand that there is a difference in the carbon footprint if it’s delivered the next day versus a week later.”
Even with consumers becoming more amenable to product delivery delays, just one in five consumers indicated that they would be willing to delay their delivery by a week or more.
But as consumers begin to put effort and dollars toward shopping more sustainably, they indicated a wariness around brand messaging where sustainability is concerned.
Just less than half of consumers said they could sometimes trust a brand depending on the message, the brand or that company’s history. But 35 percent of consumers noted that they do not trust brands’ claims in ads and marketing.
That could be because a number of major retailers have been accused of greenwashing—marketing products or programs to make them appear better than they are in actuality.
Despite consumers’ skepticism, just over 20 percent of surveyed respondents said they feel the need to do further research on a product or company prior to buying.
Van Gendt said she believes companies need to do a better job of helping to educate consumers looking to alter their purchasing habits for sustainability reasons—but that federal regulations, like the Green Guides from the U.S. Federal Trade Commission—need to provide guidelines.
“The best brands that are communicating on sustainability are complementing that with a lot of in-depth information and education that is available to the consumer. I don’t think it’s across the board—you don’t see every brand do that—but I do think it’s best practice. It’s reaping benefits in terms of the relationship with the consumer,” Van Gendt told Sourcing Journal. “We are [also] overdue for more regulation and at least parameters around what brands can say.”
