Among consumers, environmental concerns are becoming more important than ever and sustainability now rivals conventional factors such as price and brand as influencers of consumer shopping choices.
Consumers want to make sustainability-focused purchasing decisions and trusted third party certification labels play an increasingly important role, new research reveals.
According to research conducted by GlobeScan for the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) with 12,000 participants across 15 countries[1], consumers list climate change as their second most important global worry. When compared against the previous 2017 study, this concern is significantly up[2]. Understandably, disease/health issues ranked first in the research, although the comparable level of concern about climate change sends a stark message in terms of urgency to act. For forests specifically, the research found increasing concerns about the loss of plant and animal species and the impact of deforestation on climate change.
Businesses and Brands are Expected to Engage in Sustainability Issues
Consumers’ sustainability concerns also appear to increasingly influence their shopping choices, with more than 80 percent of shoppers saying they expect companies to ensure their wood and paper products do not contribute to deforestation.
Additionally, the survey found that 86 percent of consumers try to avoid products that damage biodiversity and about seven in ten want to choose products that do not contribute to climate change. As such, consumers pay attention to these factors when choosing wood-based products and packaging and expect companies to ensure their products do not harm the environment.
When asked about influences on their purchases of wooden products, protecting animals and plants and sourcing from sustainably managed forests were among consumers’ biggest motivators – nearly on par with product quality – while for paper or card products, these motivators were even higher than product quality. Consumers’ belief in their own potential impact is also growing.
Consumers Value Independent Certification to Support Sustainable Choices
Independent certification also influences product choice among shoppers, with nearly eight in ten consumers believing sustainability product information should be certified by an independent organization. These results show that the need for trusted eco-labels has never been greater. There is a steep upward trend in people’s interest in companies’ social and environmental impact; therefore, the opportunity for ecolabels is growing, highlighting the value that brands can gain from partnering with trusted certification systems.
Consumer insights are crucial to help FSC focus on the priorities. These findings inspire confidence that consumers appreciate the vital role forests play in tackling major sustainable development challenges and that consumers recognize and trust FSC as part of the solution.”
Jeremy Harrison, Chief Markets Officer at FSC
The FSC label is a powerful tool to help consumers make more sustainable shopping choices. Consumers purchasing FSC-certified products trust that FSC is effective in protecting forests with seven in ten shoppers feeling motivated to buy a product when they see the FSC label. In turn, brands and retailers support sustainable shopping choices by sourcing responsibly sourced timber and wooden products from FSC-certified forests.
The research shows that FSC’s visibility and trust is rising globally[3], reflecting a strong trend towards conscious consumerism. Fifty-four per cent of consumers express high levels of trust in FSC’s role to protect forests above all other actors – including governments and companies. Boosted by a positive context for ecolabels, the role of businesses and brands to inspire consumers about the value of sustainable forest management has never been more important.
For more information, please contact:
- Stacy Rowland, GlobeScan: stacy.rowland@globescan.com, +1 416-992-2705
- Dania Musa, Forest Stewardship Council: media@fsc.org
About the Forest Stewardship Council™ (FSC®)
FSC is a non-profit organization that provides a proven sustainable forest management solution. Currently, over 200 million hectares of forest worldwide is certified according to FSC standards. It is widely regarded as the most rigorous forest certification system among NGOs, consumers, and businesses alike to tackle today’s deforestation, climate, and biodiversity challenges. The FSC forest management standard is based on ten core principles designed to address a broad range of environmental, social and economic factors. FSC’s “check tree” label is found on millions of forest-based products and verifies that they are sustainably sourced, from forest to consumer. www.fsc.org
[1] Consumers were surveyed in Canada, Chile, Colombia, China, Germany, India, Italy, Mexico, Poland, South Africa, South Korea, Sweden, Turkey, UK, and USA.
[2] Tracking based on 8 out of the 15 countries n=6,413 (2017) n=6,400 (2021). Tracking countries were Canada, China, Germany, India, Italy, South Africa, UK, and USA.
[3] Tracking based on 8 out of the 15 countries n=6,413 (2017) n=6,400 (2021). Tracking countries were Canada, China, Germany, India, Italy, South Africa, UK and USA.
Webinar
On November 18 we hosted a webinar to:
- Discover the latest consumer behaviours and attitudes towards forestry issues
- Understand how sustainability influences consumer purchase decisions worldwide
- Hear practical examples from successful brands, how FSC can be leveraged to demonstrate a meaningful commitment to the world’s forests
The webinar included the following global thought leaders:
- Tonia Elrod, Senior Director, Communications & Sustainability (Family Care), Procter & Gamble
- Tina Nguyen, Global Sustainability Lead, Hunter Boots
- Jeremy Harrison, Chief Markets Officer, FSC International
- Caroline Holme, Senior Director, GlobeScan
- Chris Coulter, CEO, GlobeScan will moderate the webinar.
