Consumers see climate change as a health and financial threat

The global eco-confidence is declining.

There is a significant shift in public attitudes towards climate change, with global eco-confidence on the decline. Only 48% of consumers now believe there is still time to save the planet, according to Mintel’s Global Outlook on Sustainability 2024 report.

Richard Cope, Senior Trends Consultant at Mintel Consulting, said that people are becoming more exposed to climate change. "In the last four years, we've seen the proportion of consumers who feel their country is suffering from climate change grow." 

He explained that this heightened awareness is driving people to view the climate crisis not just as an environmental issue but as a threat to their personal health and financial stability.

The report also indicates that regional differences play a critical role in how people perceive environmental challenges. Climate change remains the number one global environmental concern, but specific issues vary across countries. For example, in China, air quality is the primary concern, followed closely by waste and pollution. 

"Around the world, people are especially concerned about deforestation and water shortages," Cope noted. In India, plastic pollution is a major issue, while in Japan, where the nation is highly dependent on food imports, food shortages rank as one of the top environmental concerns.

In the face of these evolving concerns, retailers in the APAC region have opportunities to better align their sustainability efforts with consumer expectations. According to Cope, consumers increasingly want to see a "personal return on investment" from engaging with sustainable products. This means that companies should market environmentally responsible products not only for their environmental impact but also for the direct benefits to consumers, whether in terms of health, efficiency, or cost savings.

"Our recommendations would be that if you have a more responsible, less environmentally impactful product, you need to also market it for the benefits as for the individual's health, or maybe the efficiency or savings it delivers to consumers as well as the human benefits," Cope advised.

He emphasised the need for businesses to "humanise the climate crisis" by connecting sustainable actions to human well-being. "Consumers are telling us they want information on how environmentally responsible products also benefit people," he added.