A growing number of Americans believe time is running out to save the planet--but brands can help turn the tide

CHICAGO, Sept. 18, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- A growing number of US consumers are losing faith in our ability to save the planet, according to new global research from Mintel. The flagship Global Outlook on Sustainability report* reveals a crisis in eco-confidence as the number of consumers who agree, 'If we act now, we still have time to save the planet,' has declined ten percentage points from 50% in 2021 to 40% in 2024. Globally, the number has dropped seven percentage points from 55% in 2021 to 48% in 2024.

Consumers are also less convinced that they personally can make a difference in the planet's future, with a fall in the number of consumers globally who believe their actions can make a positive difference to the environment, slipping from 51% in 2021 to 47% in 2024. It is even lower in the US, with 45% saying their behavior can make a positive difference in the environment in 2024, down from 48% in 2021.

When it comes to taking responsibility for climate change, the study reveals that US consumers are 'climate deniers' as only 39% agree that the US is contributing to climate change, down seven percentage points from 2021 (46%). However, recent extreme weather events have prompted Americans to reconsider their actions, as the number of those who say they are doing more to personally protect the environment has risen from 43% in 2021 to 49% in 2024.

Playing their part to help focus the world's attention on the environment, eco-activists are increasingly welcomed as educators in the US. While sometimes considered controversial, 43% of US consumers agree that eco-activists have raised their awareness of environmental issues, up from 36% in 2023. This is likely influencing the 35% of people globally who don't trust companies to be honest about their environmental impact, including 31% of US consumers who say the same.

Richard Cope, Senior Trends Consultant, Mintel Consulting, said:

"While experiencing climate change and its existential and public health threats can awaken and engage consumers, a growing realization of the scale of the increasingly pressing challenges can also erode optimism and create a sense of feeling overwhelmed. This is exactly what we've seen play out during this extensive, multi-year study, with the belief that 'we still have time to save the planet' ebbing away.

"Increasing exposure to extreme events, media coverage of successive COP events, and eco-activists all play a role in lessening the belief that we can save the planet. While activism, legal challenges, and legislation educate consumers on their rights and sharpen their awareness of what brands should be doing and what constitutes greenwashing, for some, increasing education contributes to despondency.

"Brands should play a role in reassuring and educating people, but the challenge is that people are skeptical about their green credentials as over a third (31%) of US consumers don't trust companies to be honest about their environmental impact, which poses a major challenge to brands." 

So, what can brands do to build trust among consumers?
"Brands can utilize clear communication and metrics to encourage consumers to make more sustainable choices. The top consumer choice for the type of on-pack sustainability claim or label that would significantly impact their purchasing decision is a Nutriscore-style, simple rating scale (selected by 29%* of Americans and 30% of global consumers) that shows the environmental impact (eg a 1-5 scale or red/yellow/green color coding) of a product. For consumers, a single label could ultimately liberate them from a dizzying, distracting, and confusing array of competing organic, fair trade, and other claims.

"The second most popular on-pack sustainability claim or label people are looking for is information on the product's impact on people (eg the number of farmers lifted out of poverty) chosen by 27% of Americans and 27% of global consumers. Our research shows this signals a need for the climate crisis—and its solutions—to be humanized.

"As climate change has developed into a public health crisis of killer heatwaves and pollution, personal health should be positioned and prioritized as a benefit of sustainable products, wherever possible. For brands' sustainability campaigns to be more effective, they need to focus on showing the benefits to consumers in terms of efficiency, frugality, and wellbeing on an individual level, ahead of their benefits to the overall environment."

Additional research and interviews with Richard Cope are available upon request from the Mintel Press Office. 

*Tracks the environmental and social priorities, purchasing behaviors, engagement, and level of understanding of sustainability topics among 10,000 consumers from 10 countries: the USA, Brazil, UK, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, China, India, and Japan.

SOURCE Mintel Group, Ltd.