For years, brand managers have groused that while consumers say they intend to buy sustainable products, in store they don’t actually purchase them. This conventional wisdom has been used by many brands as justification for not making their products more sustainable.
Research: Actually, Consumers Do Buy Sustainable Products
Sustainability-marketed products are growing quickly in almost all CPG categories.
June 19, 2019
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Summary.
For years, brand managers have groused that consumers say they intend to buy sustainable products but don’t actually buy them. Companies have used this conventional wisdom as justification for not making their products more sustainable. A new study, looking at the sales from 2013 to 2018 of products marketed as sustainable, finds the conventional wisdom isn’t true. In more than 90% of consumer packaged goods categories, sustainability-marketed products grew faster than their conventional counterparts. They accounted for 16.6% of the market in 2018, up from 14.3% in 2013, and delivered nearly $114 billion in sales. Companies should be aware that consumers are increasingly voting with their dollars — against unsustainable brands.