Will taking your brand green boost sales?

Consumers are getting serious. The latest Fabric research from MPG shows that some 70% of families support boycotting companies that fail to take real steps to reduce their environmental impact.

However, this show of support for the green revolution is yet to affect their actual buying behaviour. When asked how much a company’s green policy influences their buying decisions, only 15% said “a lot”.

But even for businesses that are taking steps towards going green, it’s not plain sailing. The research shows that families are cynical about companies’ reactions to climate change. Anecdotal feedback includes comments like: “The only way companies listen is when their profits go down – only then will they seriously consider putting what they say into practice.”

Describing their own behaviour, when considering purchases, almost 70% of families say they do think about the environmental impact of the packaging or product at least “a little” – included in this figure, 21% think about it “a lot”.

Moreover, the majority of families say they are concerned in some way about the environment, climate change and their impact on it, and this has been a more recent phenomenon for more than two-thirds of them. They believe most of the responsibility to drive change in response to these issues lies principally with the government (51%), but that companies (22%) and consumers (19%) must also take some responsibility.

Almost half our families aim to reduce their carbon footprint in the future, while 41% are already trying to do so.

* Fabric is a research programme conducted by media agency MPG, offering insight into British family life. Using social media, webcams and two-way dialogue, it seeks opinion and feedback from a nationwide panel of 50 families.