Purchasing decisions are impacted by environmental concerns, but consumers are less willing to

TORONTO - Oct. 4, 2021 - PRLog --

• 58% of Canadians say sustainability impacts their purchases, with food and drink being the most important in terms of ethical consumerism;
• Two-thirds (68%) of respondents have reassessed their purchasing habits due to the pandemic and are willing to pay a small premium on sustainable products;
• 38% of Canadians are skeptical of sustainability practices within companies, fearing that they are no more than a PR stunt.

Capterra's most recent study of over 1,000 Canadian consumers reveals that, although 71% of Canadians consider environmental concerns to be important, only 28% think sustainability should be a core value for companies, and nearly half (42%) say that sustainability has little to no influence on their purchasing at all.

"Despite the environmental concerns shared by most Canadians, these values aren't being translated into action. Around one-quarter of our respondents say that they don't consider individual action to be important when it comes to sustainability, which explains why so few Canadians are prioritizing sustainability when shopping,"  comments Tessa Anaya, analyst for this study.

Despite skepticism, Canadians do want to implement sustainable practices

The pandemic has impacted the spending habits of around two-thirds of Canadians, causing them to think more consciously about the products they buy. Despite the air of skepticism among consumers — 38% believe that companies 'mislead' customers with greenwashed claims of sustainable practices — there is a new wave to buy more sustainably. Nearly a quarter of survey respondents came out of the COVID-19 pandemic wanting to buy more sustainable products than before.

As employees, Canadians show an even higher degree of concern about sustainability. Over a third of survey respondents have suggested and implemented sustainable practices in their workplace, and over half say that a company's sustainability objectives would influence their decision when applying for a job.

"A large segment of Canadian consumers want to shop more consciously, but recognize the risk of greenwashed marketing, which could cause hesitation when taking sustainable actions. Thankfully, that didn't deter a large proportion of our respondents from implementing authentic change in their places of work," comments Anaya.

Consumers are willing to pay more

Generally, Canadian consumers are seeing a 50% price increase for sustainable products, a difference that puts many off buying green. 42% of respondents who don't frequently purchase sustainable products attribute this behavior to high costs. Our survey revealed that consumers don't want to pay such a high premium, and instead are willing to pay just 10% more on a product if it's considered sustainable.

Read full article here: https://www.capterra.ca/blog/2229/sustainability-in-canad...

eleanor.pitcher@gartner.com