As climate change and sustainability become increasingly pressing issues, are European consumers beginning to take notice and act?
Conducted across six European markets, Savanta’s newest Consumer Compass survey revealed that over half of Italian and Dutch consumers regard sustainability as an important consideration when buying a product or service (54% and 51% respectively) – significantly higher than any other market. Out of the 11 factors tested, sustainability was the 8th most important for the Italian market (45%), only beating brand values & ethics, brand reputation and packaging.
Spending influencers and the importance of sustainability
Unsurprisingly, price/value (75%) and quality (72%) attracted the most importance. This indicates that while sustainability is important to Italian consumers, it is not necessarily the top priority when they are making their purchasing decisions.
Least concerned by sustainability issues are the French and Nordic consumers (39% and 32% respectively). The Nordics have a strong track record of sustainability performance – reflected in their countries’ high rankings in the Europe Sustainable Development Report 2021 (Sweden 2nd, Denmark 3rd, Norway 5th). Given this significant progress in the sustainability sphere, perhaps they feel less urgency to prioritise this consideration in their purchasing decisions.
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