Over 60% worry brands’ sustainability drive is for commercial reasons only

Some companies are accused of greenwashing.

Around 64% of shoppers are concerned that brands are only involved in social issues for commercial reasons, a report found. 

In its sustainability practice’s global research, Kantar found that many companies are being accused of greenwashing, which gives rise to the need for brands to find a way to avoid inauthenticity charges. 

This has become even more pressing with consumers becoming more concerned about brands and their social and environmental initiatives. 

“In order to connect meaningfully with consumers. Typically, organisations do a great job at looking inward at issues of broad materiality,” Jonathan Hall, Head of the Sustainable Transformation Practice, Kantar, said in the article “Why ESG credentials must have visibility if they are to add value.”

“But when it comes to identifying the issues they can authentically talk about with consumers, and how to communicate those in an effective way, they tend to struggle.”

Kantar data showed that clarity of communications translated to growth as demonstrated by its top-rated Sustainability BrandZ brands rising by 31%, compared to 23% across the top 100 brands overall in 2021. 

Kantar also observed that whilst sustainability has become a major driver amongst consumers in the US and Western Europe, it is even more so in India, China, and Saudi Arabia. 

“Globally, sustainability is most likely to boost brand equity in Indonesia, where a burgeoning middle class is predicted to boost the country’s GDP by more than 5 per cent in 2022 and 2023, according to the Asian Development Bank,” Hall also said.