US Consumers’ 2024 Sustainability Score Declines and Lags the Global Average, According to New Report
NEW YORK , April 19 /Businesswire/ - US consumers are less sustainably minded than they were just a year ago, according to a new Global Voices survey from ESW, the world’s leading direct-to-consumer (DTC) ecommerce company. Scoring just 49 this year versus 51 in 2023, the US also lags the global mean, which is 55. The report also reveals that some emerging markets are more concerned about sustainability than their counterparts in more economically mature markets. For example, India (75), the United Arab Emirates (74), China (70), and Mexico (67) topped the list, with Japan (32), Germany (46), UK (46), Switzerland (48), and Canada (48) all coming in with the lowest sustainability scores.
“We were surprised to discover that the degree to which consumers are concerned about sustainability, as well as what they value from the brands they patronize, depends largely upon where they live,” said Martim Avillez Oliveira, Chief Revenue Office, ESW. “The data suggests that while US consumers have been encouraged to make environmentally responsible choices for years, perhaps the intensity of that messaging, along with the increasing strain that inflation places on households, may have consumers at a tipping point.”
The sustainability sentiment score represents the percentage of respondents that “agree” or “strongly agree” with 14 of the sustainability sentiments, including, “I am trying to be more sustainable in my day-to-day life,” “I have stopped buying from certain brands and retailers because of their poor environmental record,” and “I try to buy/shop more sustainably, but will not spend more for more eco-friendly products.”
Other key findings include:
While “sustainability” can be defined by consumers in a variety of ways, the survey found that despite this ambiguity, there are several concrete steps brands can take to attract and retain environmentally attuned shoppers. The report finds that 31% of consumers consider sustainable packaging options when shopping online, while 30% consider sustainable shipping options, and 29% value less packaging overall.
To learn more, download the full report here.
Methodology
Responses were gathered from an online panel of adults 18+, representative of national quotas for key demographics in 18 countries. Survey questions and responses were translated into each country’s native language and currencies were converted to local currencies before being converted back to $US for comparison purposes. 18,679 surveys were completed between October 31st and November 14th, 2023.
About ESW
ESW unlocks cross-border ecommerce success for the world’s best-loved brands. We provide localized checkouts that boost conversion rates, solutions that simplify complex logistics, duties and taxes, and a dedicated client-partner approach that provides data-driven strategies to ensure profitable growth.
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