- April 2024
Sustainability is becoming an integral part of consumers’ lifestyles, reshaping purchasing behaviors across markets. As consumption practices evolve, retailers must adapt quickly, particularly in the markets where they operate. With this first edition of the BearingPoint Odoxa Sustainable Retail Observatory, we provide a European-wide analysis of consumer attitudes toward sustainability, highlighting both common trends and key differences across regions.
Sustainable retail consumption is on the rise in the UK, although at a slower pace compared to Italy and France. This presents a significant opportunity for retailers to bridge the gap between consumer awareness and action.
Key UK findings: An acceleration of sustainable retail consumption practices
- Gap in Awareness vs. Action: 72% of UK consumers are aware of their environmental impact, but only 65% consider sustainability in their purchasing decisions.
- Trust in Retailers: 71% of UK consumers trust the sustainability actions of retailers, higher than the European average.
- Consumer Behavior: There is a growing trend in second-hand buying and repair, with 69% of under 35s and 68% of 35-49 year-olds engaging in these practices.
Opportunities for UK Retailers
- Circular Economy Practices: With a rise in second-hand and repair practices, retailers should consider enhancing their circular economy strategies.
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Integration into Business Strategy: Incorporating sustainability into corporate strategies can offer incentives for sustainable choices and increase demand for eco-friendly products. e.g. working with suppliers to ensure that products meet customer expectations.
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Effective Communication Strategies: Clear and effective communication highlighting the sustainability of products can help bridge the gap between awareness and action.
European consumers are embracing sustainable consumption
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72%
are aware of their impact through their consumption choices
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66%
take sustainability into account in their purchase decision, which represents two out of three consumers
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64%
trust retailers with the sustainability actions implemented. The level of trust correlates with age, the older we get, the more skeptical we become toward retailers’ sustainable actions
Alternatives to buying new are already well-established practices
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63%
of Europeans engage in buying second-hand and 58% in reselling second-hand
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77%
repair instead of buying new. The practice is growing rapidly at the European level: 27% of consumers say they do it more often than 1 year ago
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24%
report buying new products less often than a year ago
Countries who lead and countries who follow
There are practices in which all European countries seem to converge, but in some, we observe mature consumers. For instance, Germany leads Europe in second-hand buying practices, with a proportion of 67%, while the proportion is 59% in the UK.
France and the Netherlands have more contrasted adoption profiles, ranking between #1 and #5 depending on the practice. The results confirm that each country first develops the practice it is most comfortable with and then looks at other countries for new practices.
Habits won’t change overnight, but rather across generations
Even though the survey highlights widespread adoption of sustainable practices among consumers, some habits remain difficult to change, with strongly resistant groups. In the food sector, the disengagement from livestock-sourced products is heterogeneous: 27% of European consumers declare they are disengaged (ie doing it “never” or “less than before”) from animal protein consumption. Consumer age can be a key factor influencing the pace of change in adopting sustainable practices, particularly in second-hand shopping, where the adoption rate is 20% lower among the 50+ age group.
Would you like to find out more ?
Contact us for a detailed presentation about the Sustainable Retail Observatory: 2024 edition
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Richard WaltersSenior ManagerUnited Kingdom
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Richard WaltersContact meSenior ManagerUnited Kingdom
