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Slowly but surely consumers are becoming more aware of the effects their buying habits are having on the environment and with the effects having been well document in the news, consumers are being driven to consider more ethical ways of shopping.
A recent survey commissioned by online clothing retailer Clothes2Order revealed that the main reason consumers are more conscious of the products they buy and the brands that they buy from is because they care about the environment, so much so that 44% of UK consumers admitted to boycotting a brand based on their ethics and eco-policies.
With plastic pollution being a hot topic in the media lately, and the recent BBC wildlife series Blue Planet shocking its viewers with the reality of our consumptions habits, it is clear to see why people’s views on non-ethical brands are changing. The survey highlighted that more and more of us are now conducting our own research into a brands ethical and eco-policies before purchasing from them. Interestingly, of the 50% of people that admitted to doing this, only 6.5% do it every time they shop.
A number of brands have already stepped up and are practicing more ethical techniques when it comes to the production and manufacturing of their products. For examples, trainer brand New Balance aims to have zero waste and does not use toxic substances in order to reduce their impact on the environment and beauty brand The Body Shop only works with suppliers that treat workers fairly and conduct regular factory visits to ensure they are meeting the right working conditions.
Brands that follow ethical practices tend to come with a higher price tag, however a number of consumers see the value in this and are more than willing to splash the extra cash, in fact 44.9% of UK consumers said they would be willing to spend more on a product that has been made using eco-friendly methods or materials – with people aged 16-24 being the main contributors to this figure.
Clothes2Order has compiled all the stats from the survey into an interesting visual piece, so if you want to know more about the UKs views on ethical shopping, then you can view the piece here: https://www.clothes2order.com/pages/eco-friendly-survey/