Today we will focus on people. People surrounded by a post pandemic World, evidently warming, and facing economic uncertainties, inflation, job losses and automation, energy crisis and conflicts.
"Is sustainable behavior a luxury?"
This is the introductory question of the most recent Deloitte’s Global Sustainability Survey, part of Deloitte’s Global State of the Consumer Tracker which tracks sustainability attitudes and behaviors across more than 20 countries.
Here the summarized outcome:
overall softening of support for climate action
fewer people saying they are making sustainable choices
less backing for government climate action
lower participation in advocacy activities
fewer respondents advocating for sustainability in their workplaces
fewer willing to switch jobs to work for a more sustainable employer
"Deloitte data suggests personal economic conditions profoundly shape the breadth and depth of sustainable behaviors ... transition also needs to be equitable, which means ensuring everyone—not just affluent consumers or well-paid workers—are brought along". Lower socioeconomic status creates barriers to sustainable behaviors, meaning that access and opportunity drive more than "simply" attitudes.
In spite of that, more than half of all respondents have felt anxiety about climate change recently and most believe climate change is an emergency.
"Divergences in climate action and sustainable behavior go beyond having the financial means ... They also suggest deeper, structural issues"
"Companies, especially those with large numbers of workers across a variety of income levels, should test whether their sustainability efforts are reaching all employees."
And given the potential for price sensitivity, consumer-facing companies may have to innovate to bring the overall costs down continually. And associate affluence with simply consuming less.
About the younger generations, a growing share of consumers, Deloitte’s 2023 Gen Z and Millennial Survey indicated that 37% of millennials and 33% of Generation Z respondents already avoid buying fast fashion, and about 80% of respondents say they want business to do more to enable consumers to make more sustainable purchasing decisions.
About politicians and Governments, needless to say how critical their role is.
Click at the image below for the full online report including several interesting graphs.
