Frank Scialabba
ByKatishi Maake
Source: www.retailbrew.com, July 2023

Two-thirds (65%) of Americans have purchased a sustainably made item at least once in the past year, according to a Harris Poll/Retail Brew survey.

When it comes to sustainability, consumers’ perceptions and beliefs are having a downstream effect on how the broader retail ecosystem behaves.

Last month, we covered how the trucking industry, particularly carriers, said they plan on adopting more sustainable practices in part due to consumer demand for sustainable products.

  • And it seems their assumptions are correct: Two-thirds (65%) of Americans have purchased a sustainably made item at least once in the past year, according to a Harris Poll/Retail Brew survey of 2,006 adults.
  • More than three in five (63%) said it’s important they shop retailers that prioritize sustainability.
  • And 55% report having purchased at least one plant-based food item in the past year.

Is the grass greener? Let’s hit the brakes to acknowledge that shopping sustainably isn’t the easiest thing to do for shoppers. More than four in five (81%) of Americans agree it’s difficult to shop sustainably when the prices of sustainable goods are more expensive. When push comes to shove, consumers will tend to fall back on more affordable alternatives.

  • Nearly three-quarters (74%) agree it’s difficult to shop sustainably when the majority of retailers don’t prioritize sustainable practices, a sentiment shared by consumers across all generations, the survey found.
  • And more than half of shoppers (52%) wouldn’t walk away if they discovered a retailer they shop at that wasn’t operating sustainably.

Be honest with me: On top of not being willing to make sacrifices for sustainable purchases, consumers, broadly, are skeptical of companies that promote sustainable practices. More than a third (69%) believe greenwashing is an issue in retail marketing.

  • Fewer than three in five Americans trust a retailer’s sustainability claims when it comes to their recycling and waste practices (58%), their supply chain operations (54%), and their manufacturing practices (54%).
  • This is a strange dynamic considering corporate leaders largely feel the same way (insert Spider-Man pointing meme). Almost three-quarters of execs believe most organizations in their respective industries would be found greenwashing if investigated, according to a Harris Poll/Google Cloud survey conducted in January.
  • However, roughly the same percentage of executives admitted that they want to move forward with sustainability goals, but aren’t sure how to do so.

“There are actors that are maybe intentionally overstating what they’re doing, but I honestly think for the most part, companies are sincere. They’ve set their goals, they’re working towards them, but they don’t always have the data to be transparent,” Kate Brandt, chief sustainability officer at Google, told the Wall Street Journal.

The big picture: Here’s what shoppers want, straight from the source: Americans favor retailers that reduce their waste products (56%) and use sustainable packaging (53%), per the Harris Poll/Retail Brew survey.

  • Additionally, respondents said they favor retailers that operate energy-efficient buildings (44%), increase local production/use of local suppliers (44%), reduce their carbon emissions in transport/delivery practices (42%), source sustainable materials for their products (40%), install energy-efficient displays (34%), and use technology to reduce overstock of items (34%).