U.S. Consumers Consider Sustainability Less Now Than They Did Last Year
U.S. consumers aren’t going green in the same way other countries’ shoppers have.
New data from e-commerce firm ESW shows that the average U.S. consumer is concerned less about sustainability in 2024 than they were in 2023.
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That data comes from a survey of global consumers, where ESW put forth 14 sentiment markers around sustainability-related behavior and created a “sustainability sentiment score” based on the proportion of respondents that answered “agree” or “strongly agree” to the questions.
The sentiments included questions about price sensitivity as it relates to sustainability, whether sustainability plays a role in consumers’ day-to-day lives and more.
The average U.S. consumer scored 49, lower than the global average of 55 and down two points from a score of 51 in 2023. The U.S. score comes just above the bottom five nations by sentiment—Japan at 32, the UK and Germany at 46 and Switzerland and Canada at 48.
Meanwhile, other countries had a high value for sustainability. India’s consumers scored 75; the United Arab Emirates scored 74; China came in third at 70 and Mexico followed at 67.
Martim Avillez Oliveira, ESW’s chief revenue officer, said the firm found the variance by country was unexpected.
“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,” Avillez Oliveira said in a statement. “The data suggests that while U.S. 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.”
Location wasn’t the only factor that defined how inclined consumers feel to consider sustainability. Brands popular amongst Gen Zers and millennials may have a better chance at success with their sustainability appeals.
Gen Zers globally scored 61 on ESW’s scale, with millennials on their heels with a score of 60. Gen X lagged below the global average at 53, and Boomers came in with a score of 49.
Even though some countries—and generational cohorts—lag behind others where sustainability sentiment is concerned, one-third of all global shoppers scored over 80. That means if they put their money where their sentiment lies, the industry could soon reap the benefits of sustainably minded consumers.
Sentiment also varies by category of shopper. Luxury consumers, who often have a higher rate of disposable income, are already on their way toward more sustainable practices. According to ESW, the average luxury shopper is 1.5 times more likely to be “sustainably attuned.”
That could also be part of the reason resale platforms selling luxury goods at a discount have become increasingly popular amongst consumers.
ESW’s data shows that even as some consumers’ sustainability sentiment has fallen since last year, consumers are starting to become more educated.
Over half of global consumers said they have become more conscious of greenwashing in 2024 as compared with 2023.
That’s good news for brands ramping up their messaging and actions around sustainability, and it may simultaneously begin to negatively alter consumers’ opinions of brands they deem guilty of greenwashing.
And about three in 10 consumers said they consider sustainable packaging and shipping options when they shop virtually. For that reason, ESW’s report suggests brands work to “enhance [their] reputation by offering recyclable packaging and carbon neutral shipping and delivery,” both to retain customers already seeking sustainable alternatives and to attract customers who may be coming around to the importance of sustainability when purchasing new items.
