Brits 'apathetic' to green retailing practices

Monday, 20 October 2008

British shoppers are not interested in supporting retailers who make efforts to stock greener items on their shelves, according to a new report.

The study, carried out by TNS, discovered that only 45% of UK shoppers are happy to pay more for products with an environmental conscience.

Of those polled, 21% across the world said their food buying habits are influenced by goods with green credentials, but this figure dropped to 11% in the UK.

Moreover, while 60% of respondents asserted that it is good business practice for retailers to remove so-called non-sustainable items from shelves, calling this "right" or "fair", just 34% said they would seek out the businesses that adopt this "choice editing". In Italy, 89% would do this, 71% in Spain and 62% in Germany.

Managing director at TNS UK Andrew Czarnowski said: "The question for brands targeting UK consumers is, ‘are these people willing to 'walk the walk', or just 'talk the talk'?' This research proves the latter is unfortunately the case, as very few Brits back up their green convictions by accepting a higher price for greener products."

He added that the apathy shown among British consumers in this area is "shocking" and that the findings are "embarrassing", especially in comparison to other countries.

Last week, the National Farmers' Union (NFU) said that extra government funding into the sector could help to boost food production in the UK.

This came after Lee Woodger, head of the NFU's food chain union, argued that more food should be sourced locally in the UK.

IGD chief executive Joanne Denney-Finch has also said that green retail efforts will not be derailed at a time when people are cutting back on spending.