Although an increasing number of brands are now focusing on sustainability issues and are trying to send out green messages to consumers, a recent survey by Ogilvy Earth has revealed that the level of consumer engagement with sustainability is decreasing.
The results from the survey, presented at the Sustainable Brands conference in London, show that three in four UK consumers are out of touch with the sustainability agenda and are not keen to change their routine to adopt a greener lifestyle. The findings indicate that brands are failing to deliver marketing and communications messages that can boost consumers´ enthusiasm for sustainability and make environmental care more widely accepted.
In fact, the Mainstream Green survey points to a certain “eco-fatigue” among consumers who seem to be fed up with environmental problems being discussed in national media, causing them to believe that the problems are too complicated to solve.
According to the authors of the survey, the level of consumer engagement with environmental issues in the UK has remained flat and joint efforts should be made by the government, the media and businesses to help people address the problems more actively.
Many participants in the conference shared the view that consumers have a wrong preconception about green products. What's needed is a consistent and systematic change to people's perception that would ultimately lead to a wider adoption of sustainable living, said B&Q's director of corporate social responsibility Matt Sexton.
