Environment – Bigger than ever

Concern for the environment is not going away. Environmental issues are the #2 global concern, even slightly up on 2020, cited by exactly half of consumers this year.

In fact, UK respondents are actually more worried about the environment than COVID-19 (63% versus 58%) – and this in a poll conducted before the release of the latest report from the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in August or the UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) in Scotland scheduled for the end of October.

Concern for the environment has continued to broaden to include wider sustainability issues, notably around society, with a heightened focus on community and social justice. And it has deepened, too: half of global respondents now believe that “every choice I make in my daily life affects the environment”, while the number of people “tired of the fuss that is being made about the environment” has fallen for the third year running.

ENVIRONMENT – STICKY TRENDS

Hayballs under water

1. Concern for climate change

Global warming/climate change is still high on the list of environmental issues, cited by 78% of respondents.

Woman and shopping cart

2. Worries about waste

Waste is a growing concern, with food waste and wasteful packaging cited as leading environmental issues by three-quarters of respondents.

Woman unpacking groceries

3. Keeping it local

Around half of consumers say they have made a purchase specifically to support local businesses during the pandemic.

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