Retailers must act fast to satisfy underwhelmed sustainability-seeking shoppers, says GlobalData

The overwhelming majority of UK consumers believe that retailers should be acting sustainably but almost 80% think that retailers are not doing enough to address issues around sustainability and climate change*, according to GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company.

GlobalData’s latest report: ‘UK Sustainability 2019’, reveals that those who are most likely to purchase more frequently are often more engaged with sustainability and ethics, as many consumers wish to pass the responsibility on to retailers. For instance, 82.3% of consumers aged 16-24 agree that retailers should make an effort to source materials sustainably and ethically in clothing & footwear**.

However, these young individuals may be the ones who are less able to make changes due to the often higher price points associated with sustainable and/ or ethical products. 78.8% of consumers agree that it is hard to find affordable sustainable and/ or ethical clothing & footwear products**, so price is an important factor that many consumers are not willing to compromise on and a barrier to making more sustainable choices.

Emily Salter, Retail Analyst for GlobalData commented: “The ‘war against plastic’ gained huge public awareness from the BBC’s Blue Planet 2 documentary, which showed the enormous damage that plastic is having on the marine environment and animals. A number of retailers, in particular grocers such as Tesco and Marks & Spencer, quickly reacted to this growing consumer interest by reducing use of single-use plastics. There are further opportunities for grocers to gain share and consumer trust based on their plastic credentials, for instance, 66.3% of consumers said they make an effort to purchase food without plastic packaging*, so more plastic-free options should be explored.”

Sustainability in clothing & footwear has gained a lot of press recently, as the Environmental Audit Committee 2018 report deemed the British fashion industry unsustainable.

Salter concluded: “Retailers have tried to tap into this demand for more sustainable items, such as H&M continuing to extend its Conscious Collection, PrettyLittleThing launching its Recycled collection, and Primark introducing garments made from sustainable materials. However, fast fashion is inherently environmentally unsustainable. More sustainable and ethical options are growing in popularity, including dedicated retailers, slow fashion, and resale apps. Clothing retailers could capitalise upon this trend by launching rental services, as well as online second-hand marketplaces.”

*The survey data is taken from GlobalData Retail’s 2018 & 2019 monthly surveys of 2,000 nationally representative UK respondents.

** The survey data is taken from GlobalData Retail’s 2019 Clothing survey of 5,000 nationally representative UK respondents.

Media Enquiries

If you are a member of the press or media and require any further information, please get in touch, as we're very happy to help.



DECODED Your daily industry news round-up

This site is registered on wpml.org as a development site.