Researchers at Nielsen expect sustainable-minded shoppers to spend up to $150 billion on sustainable products by 2021, representing an increase of between US$14 – $22 billion.
The latest research shows sustainability is expanding beyond food and beverages to drive gains in everything from resource management to product packaging.
Nielsen’s survey found that 73 per cent of global consumers say they would definitely or probably change their consumption habits to reduce their impact on the environment. Over 80 per cent of global respondents said that it is “extremely” or “very” important that companies implement programs to improve the environment.
Sales of food and beverage products with a sustainability claim are up 3.7 per cent from a year ago while sales of household care products with sustainability claims grew by 7.1 per cent. Vegan and cruelty-free are among the top growers when it comes to claims on household and laundry products.
Sales of products with sustainable packaging are on the rise with recycled packaging proving popular in coffee, salty snacks and pizza. In post recycled packaging, cookies and crackers represent more than a third of dollar growth. While recyclable packaging has been driven by beverage which is up 5 per cent.
