Shades of Green
Trends Briefing: 26th May 2022 | 9am-10am | Register here
Climate change is socio-normative. It isn’t viable territory in the culture war and the vast majority of people – in almost every major economy – have been convinced by both the science and their own experiences. Even a global pandemic hasn’t caused us to forget about it. The cost of living crisis and soaring energy bills are making it a vital part of the discussion about future resilience and development.
It is in this context that we often hear about green consumers, that subset of us that base their purchasing decisions on these principles. This is the wrong way to think about them.
Your customers are green. The question is what shade of green they are.
Only a very small minority of consumers are what we would term ‘dark green’, where the majority of their purchase decisions are driven by ethics or sustainability. But the proportion for whom these criteria aren’t at all relevant is also quite small – especially among younger generations. Most people are somewhere in the middle – they might not be able to pay an ethical premium for a product, but they would forgo a little convenience. Or maybe they will pay the premium – but they won’t compromise on quality.
But big questions remain. How do consumers vary from product to product – or even over time? As concerns narrow amid the cost of living squeeze, will we put environmental concerns to one side? What are the implications for brands trying to navigate climate change and climate urgency?
Join us for our next trends briefing where we’ll tackle all these questions and more.