Research shows Inflation could harm sustainable food shopping

Nearly three quarters of British consumers strongly agree that protecting the environment is one of the most important issues of our times and, as a result, want to shop more sustainably. Half of the population are trying to include some sustainability practices into their shopping and are satisfied with their actions. However, with fast rising inflation and the worst cost of living crisis facing the UK in a century, the decision about which food brands and products to purchase is

ultimately led by price for the majority (79%) of shoppers.

In fact money, or lack of with rising inflation, is a barrier to adopting more sustainable shopping

practices for more than half of shoppers, with just one in five making planet

friendly choices that prioritise sustainable packaging (20%) and buying

products with local ingredients (19%).

These are the key findings of a new report, 2022 Consumer Trends in

Sustainability, launched by quantilope, the research platform that automates advanced research methodologies.

One in three shoppers say they are more likely to buy products that have sustainable packaging. 77% of shoppers actively attempt to reduce waste and more than half (51%) plan to buy less plastic. Some plastic packaging is inevitable of course and one third of survey respondents claim to separate waste for recycling.

One third of shoppers, Waste Warriors, are so concerned with the future of the planet that they do more than anyone else to reduce plastic in their purchases, separate waste and recycle the plastic they do sometimes have to buy.

Peter Aschmoneit, CEO and Co-Founder of quantilope, said: “There is broad acknowledgement that money, time and effort make being more sustainable a challenge. The two most popular actions that people currently take – reducing waste and using reusable shopping bags, require little time, effort and no specialist knowledge; demonstrating that when the action is easy to slot into everyday life, people are happy to take it. With rising inflation threatening disposable income, it is critical that manufacturers understand how changes they make to product pricing and packaging can impact consumer decisions.”