Cost of living main barrier to sustainable living for APAC consumers: study

Source: Kantar’s Sustainability Sector Index 2022 is based on interviews with 33,000 consumers in 32 countries. In APAC 11,020 consumers were interviewed across Australia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.

More from this source:

• 66% of consumers in APAC believe that better products for the environment and society are more expensive.

• Four in five want to buy environmentally sustainable products and services, so brands must deliver on price to avoid sustainability being a luxury for the wealthy in our region.

• Only two in five (40%) who are ‘struggling’ with their household budgets are actively seeking brands that offer ways to offset their impact on the environment, compared to the two-thirds who are financially ‘comfortable’ (65%).

• 58% feel that it is really hard to tell which products are good or bad ethically, or for the environment, and 68% say that clear certification explaining the ethical benefits would influence their purchase.

• People are more likely to stay abreast of a company’s sustainability efforts and support or stop using brands based on their impact on the environment. Almost half say they are ‘usually aware’ of a company’s sustainable initiatives (46%), so it’s important for companies to address the issues that matter to consumers in APAC.

• Air pollution and hazardous waste disposal are the most common issues that consumers in APAC are looking for companies in different sectors to tackle, followed by water pollution and carbon emissions leading to global warming.

• Almost half do not know where to find sustainable or ethical products (46%) and one-third are concerned that sustainable products work less well, or they are lower quality (32%).

• Greenwashing is another hurdle to overcome with 84% of consumers saying they have seen misleading information about sustainable actions taken by companies and 45% worry brands are involved in social issues just for commercial reasons.

• Globally, the key consumer ask is for companies to help them tackle waste. Consumers want companies in 22 of 38 indicated sectors to tackle overpackaging, non-recyclable packaging and landfill, overconsumption, and waste.

• 61% of respondents globally said “clear certification explaining the environmental/ethical benefits would influence me to buy”.