The health of the planet tops the list of consumer concerns globally – surpassing even population health – according to research from Innova.
“For the first time ever, more consumers surveyed globally for Innova’s Lifestyle & Attitude Survey say the health of the planet is their top global concern, rather than the health of the population,” says Lu Ann Williams, insights director at Innova Market Insights.
When it comes to food choices, 63 per cent prefer to eat at a restaurant that actively prevents or reduces food waste. Around 20 to 25 per cent also take initiatives to choose food with environmentally friendly packaging and sustainably grown products.
Meanwhile, the number of products on the market carrying environmental claims is increasing at a rate more than three times that of the overall food and beverage sector. Ethical claims regarding the environment increased their share of total food and beverage launches from 4.4 per cent between 2016 and 2017 to 6.6 per cent between 2020 and 2021, resulting in a 17.3 per cent cumulative annual growth rate over the five years to the third quarter of last year.
Innova’s research finds that customers are willing to pay extra for more environmentally friendly products as they want to take action on global issues such as plastic waste (64 per cent), ocean pollution (63 per cent), and food waste (62 per cent).
Further reading: What motivates people to act more sustainably?
