Most shoppers feel grocers can do more on sustainable retailing, says new report

UK shoppers feel grocers should do more on sustainable retailing, a new report claimed today (14), adding that the country’s annual spend on ‘ethical’ and sustainable goods has tipped to record a high of £122 billion.

According to the latest research and survey by Retail Insight, ‘green pound’ has been boosted further as shoppers are now willing to spend more on sustainable products with almost half (46 percent) of respondents saying they would be happy paying a premium for goods that were ‘green’, rising to 57 percent of Millennials.

The report also mentioned that UK shoppers feel retailers can do more to go green. Three quarters (74 percent) of those polled by Retail Insight said retailers could do more to improve their sustainability credentials. Just 4 percent of respondents felt supermarkets were doing all they could to be environmentally friendly, says the report.

Almost two thirds (62 percent) of UK consumers thought that too often grocers merely paid lip-service to sustainable initiatives, rising to 66 percent for 35-44 year old’s.

The report further shows that eight in ten (81 percent) UK consumers said they feel supermarkets still sold goods with excessive or unnecessary packaging, while a further 72 percent felt there was not enough of a focus on the role of reducing food waste in supermarkets’ sustainability targets. A further 63 percent said more could be done to create greener supply chains, says the report.

Paul Boyle, CEO of Retail Insight, commented: “It’s now more important than ever that supermarkets’ sustainability initiatives go beyond the rhetoric – consumers are voting with their feet – and their wallets – and are actively choosing brands who are genuinely committed to reducing their environmental impact on the planet. And this isn’t just impacting sales, it’s redefining customer loyalty; our research shows that 60 percent of shoppers would be more loyal to a supermarket brand if they perceived the business to be green.”

“But going green goes beyond grand gestures – often the biggest sustainability wins can be found in the analysis of granular data and the application of cognitive technology.”