A growing number of U.S. consumers are losing faith in our collective ability to save the planet, a new survey from market research firm Mintel shows. The study reveals “a crisis in eco-confidence, with the number of consumers who agree, ‘If we act now, we still have time to save the planet,’ declining to 40%, down 10% from 2021. Globally, the number has dropped 7 percentage points over that period, to 48% currently.”
Consumers are also skeptical about brands’ efforts to be eco-friendly, the survey found, with nearly a third (31%) of U.S. consumers saying they don’t trust companies to be honest about their environmental impact.
So, what can brands do to build trust among consumers?
“They can utilize clear communication and metrics to encourage consumers to make more sustainable choices,” said Richard Cope, Mintel’s Senior Trends Consultant. “The top consumer choice for the type of on-pack sustainability claim or label that would significantly impact their purchasing decision is a Nutriscore-style, simple rating scale (selected by 29%* of Americans and 30% of global consumers) that shows the environmental impact (e.g. a 1-5 scale or red/yellow/green color coding) of a product. For consumers, a single label could ultimately liberate them from a dizzying, distracting and confusing array of competing organic, fair trade and other claims.”
Click here for more from the Mintel study.
