Consumers battered by the recession are now less likely to pay a premium for goods that are produced more sustainably or ethically, according to a report on shoppers' attitudes.One in nine people polled in a survey of 1,030 adults in July said they could no longer afford to pay a premium for ethical or environmentally friendly products, while 19% said they were not in a financial position to think about such issues.
In a separate survey of 25,000 adults, 33.6% said they would be prepared to pay more for environmentally friendly products — down 6.6% on a high-point in 2007.
But, the new research from consumer, media and market research firm Mintel also found a strong commitment to ethical goods and environmental issues among consumers with 97% of adults claiming to have adopted at least one of the "more green" types of behaviour included in the survey.
Low-cost changes such as re-using bags and switching to low-energy light bulbs has not been affected by the recession. Mintel research reveals the amount of consumers adding energy-saving features to their home was up 6% and those switching to energy-saving lightbulbs are up 5% from last year.
In addition, it seems that UK consumers have embraced recycling — fewer than 10% of adults claim to be "confused" about what can and cannot be recycled. In addition, some 44% of adults state a willingness to return "reusable drinks bottles to supermarkets or other collection points". On packaging, 74% think that retailers use too much and 78% of consumers say they recycle as much packaging as they can.
But whether you reuse your carrier bags seems to depend partly on your sex and age. While older people (over 80%) have embraced reusable bags, younger people are lagging behind (only 59% among pre-family adults). Some 82% of women have adopted reusable bags compared to 65% of men.
Richard Caines, senior retail analyst at Mintel, said: "For most people being greener is a 'nice to do' rather than a 'need to do' aspect of their lifestyles. The impact of the recession is forcing people to cut costs and trade down."
