Abstract
Media attention on environmental matters has grown substantially in recent years. The publication of the Stern Report into the impact of climate change has focused attention on the responsibility of the government, business and the individual in reducing carbon emissions and following a more sustainable model of living.
The multiple grocery retailers have stated their intentions to facilitate change in consumer behaviour and bring ethical buying into the mainstream. Currently consumers appear to be happy to make green choices when there is little difficulty or compromise in doing so, for example by switching to low-energy light bulbs, but they need greater encouragement to make the planet-saving switches to a fundamentally greener way of living.
Consumers have undoubtedly begun their journey to greener living with small simple steps. However, grocery retailers need to provide the information, opportunity and incentive for consumers to travel further and make greater, further-reaching changes.
Table of Contents
- Issues in the Market
- Key issues
- 4 key themes
- Market in Brief
- Stern warnings on climate change
- Urgent reductions in UK carbon emissions
- The role of green grocery
- Organics and Fairtrade show the way
- Universal labelling essential
- Step-by-step involvement
- Staying green in the future
- Internal Market Environment
- Key Points
- Stern report
- Apathy vs activism
- The ' I can' generation -- decline of deference and the rise of individualism
- Is shopping the new politics?
- Think global, act local
- The media
- Newspapers
- TV channels
- An Inconvenient Truth
- Corporate social responsibility
- The green advantage
- Mainstreaming of green politics
- Green signposts
- Packaging
- Want not waste (not)
- Broader Market Environment
- Key Points
- UK vs. the rest of the world -- carbon footprint
- Figure 1: Annual average carbon footprints, per person by selected countries, 2006
- One-person households
- Figure 2: Changes in UK household size, 2002-12
- Customisation
- Single units make large impact
- AB socio-economic status growing
- Figure 3: Changes in socio-economic status, 2002-12
- ABs drive change
- Ageing population
- Figure 4: Changes in the UK demographic profile, by age, 2001-06
- Young choices
- Future
- The grey greens
- Future
- Figure 5: Carbon footprint of the over-50s by age (UK), year2006
- Competitive Context
- Food leaves big prints
- Figure 6: Average annual personal carbon scores per household appliance/service (kg)
- Other ethical food models
- Figure 7: UK growth rate of ethical food and drinks products by sector 2002-06
- Organic growth
- Fairtrade
- Farmer' s markets
- Food politics -- competing for the green pound
- Carbon offsetting
- Strengths and Weaknesses in the Market
- Strengths
- Weaknesses
- Dilemmas in the market -- Ethical vs. Environmental Consumerism
- Key Points
- Food miles vs. carbon footprint
- Distance travelled vs means of transport
- Helping consumers to chose
- Fairtrade vs. low carbon footprint
- Fairtrade air-trade
- Long distance organics
- The Future
- Key Points
- Sustaining sustainability
- Green dictators
- The green consumer -- an oxymoron?
- Carbon offsetting
- Companies and Products
- Key Points
- Retailer profiles
- Poachers turned gamekeeper?
- Figure 8: Summary of grocery retailer corporate responsibility policies, April 2007
- Company profiles
- Walkers
- Figure 9: Make-up of carbon footprint of Walkers cheese & onion crisps pack 2006
- Innocent
- Nestlé
- Belu Mineral Water
- Brand Communication and Promotion
- Key Points
- Green is the new black
- Greenwash
- Advertising corporate commitment
- Environmental branding
- Consumer 1 -- Defining the Consumer -- TGI
- Key Points
- Ethical living on the rise
- Figure 10: Agreement with selected lifestyle statements, 2002-06
- Ethical interest grows
- Eating greens
- ...is a dilemma for the consumer...
- .... and for the multiple grocers
- Older consumers take up environmental causes...
- ...but some feel excluded
- The cost of being green
- Recycling on the up
- Young consumers are the future
- Figure 11: Agreement with lifestyle statements on environmental issues, 7-14-year-olds, 2002-06
- Green pester power
- Under 10s' black and white view of green
- Parental influence...
- ...or children influencing parents
- Young environmental concerns
- Figure 12: Level of concern about environmental issues, 7-14-year-olds, 2002-06
- Children' s environmental angst deepens
- From worried to very concerned
- Consumer 2 -- The Consumer Journey
- Key Points
- Figure 13: Actions now undertaken more often to help the environment, February 2007
- Consumers turning greener
- Saving the planet -- and money
- Less action on sourcing
- Age determines action
- The expense factor
- Special circumstances
- Repertoire analysis of environmental actions undertaken
- Figure 14: Repertoire of actions of environmental help undertaken to reduce their carbon footprint February 2007 (row %)
- Ethical enthusiasts Es score highly as they are the most likely to be
retired.
- Figure 15: propensity to undertake seven or more actions to reduce carbon foot print, February 2007
- Younger consumers and those with families are the least concerned
- Repertoire of actions taken by the activity undertaken
- Figure 16: Repertoire of Environmental activities to reduce carbon footprint by the type of environmental activity engaged in, February 2007 (column %)
- Easy steps first
- Hierarchy of actions
- Appendix
- Introduction
- Consumer research
- ACORN
- Abbreviations
- Consumer 1 -- Defining the consumer -- Detailed Demographics
- Figure 21: Agreement with selected lifestyle statements, by demographic sub-group, 2006
- Figure 22: Agreement with selected lifestyle statements, by demographic sub-group, 2006
- Figure 23: Agreement with lifestyle statements on environmental issues, 7-14-year-olds, by demographic sub-group, 2006
- Consumer 2 -- The Consumer Journey -- Detailed demographics
- Figure 24: Actions now undertaken more often to help the environment, February 2007
- Figure 25: Actions now undertaken more often to help the environment, February 2007
- Figure 26: Actions now undertaken more often to help the environment, February 2007
- Figure 27: Actions now undertaken more often to help the environment, February 2007
- Repertoire Analysis -- Further Analysis -- Detailed Demographics
- Figure 29: Repertoire of Environmental activities to reduce carbon footprint by the type of environmental activity engaged in, February 2007 (col %)
- Consumer 3 -- Changing Food Purchasing Habits -- Detailed Demographics
- Consumer 4 -- Reasons for not changing behaviour -- Detailed Demographics
- Consumer 5 -- Motivations for changing behaviour -- Detailed Demographics
- Figure 34: Motivations for changing behaviour, February 2007
- Other analysis not included in the main body of the report
