May 1st, 2009

Sustainable Groceries: 54% of Grocery Shoppers Favor Greener Brands

Even as shoppers continue to hold back on spending, the evidence that they’re thinking greener than ever continues to pile up. The latest is a study, summarzied in a Media Post article, from the Grocery Manufacturers Association and Deloitte, which reports that 54% of grocery shoppers say they “actively consider” a brand’s sustainability characteristics before tossing them in the basket.

The Media Post article states that “. . . doesn’t necessarily translate into buying green, and only 22% of the more than 6,400 shoppers interviewed as they left the store that day actually bought a green product on this particular shopping trip.”

“Only 22%”! The fact that less than half of those saying they actively consider green traits of brands actually bought them that day is no surprise — this is consistent with many prior studies and surveys showing a disconnect between what consumers say and what they do when it comes to sustainability in their purchasing habits. What is amazing is that almost a quarter of the shoppers interviewed actually made more sustainable purchases that day (or at least purchases perceived to be more sustainable — see Wikipedia citing the American Marketing Association for an ironic definition of green marketing).