Seven groups
that hold the
key to driving sustainable behaviour
change

I. THE CHANGEMAKERS

Sustainability is key
to their identity and values, wanting
to drive further change

II. THE COMMITTED

Feel they have to play their part
in solving the issues

III. THE STRIVERS

Want to do more
but need help

IV. THE
PRAGMATISTS

Want to tackle the issues but only do
what is practical and beneficial for them

V. THE REALISTS

Agree this is an issue but think it’s too late and can’t make a difference

VI. THE
DISENGAGED

Don’t think about sustainability

VII. THE DISMISSIVE

Don’t believe sustainability matters

As you would expect from our top group, the value-action gap is far smaller for the eco-elite, as sustainable identity and values are the driving force for The Changemakers.

This is the most active group on our list and is also the most activist, believing that they can bring other people on the sustainable transformation journey too.

As well as being most likely of all segments to do most sustainable behaviours, including eating less meat and dairy and reducing the carbon impact of their travel choices, they also seek to make a positive impact by campaigning and community action.

Brands such as Tony's Chocolonely, with its call for collective action to eradicate slavery from cocoa farming tick all their boxes as they are also the group most likely to understand the overlap of social and environmental issues.

As such The Changemakers are a useful “early adopter” audience for Activist or Change Brands such as Patagonia. They support normalising and socialising sustainable behaviours and typically have a huge influence.

They are also relentless in their quest to do more. They are constantly looking for brands that share their values and want to be more active and continue to adopt further behaviour changes.

There are still frictions that hold them back, but such a motivated group often finds its own way around the boulder.

“I care about sustainability issues and believe I can make a difference. I am doing all I can in terms of things like reducing water and energy use. I am shopping locally, using zero waste shops, buying from more sustainable companies most of the time. I am vegan and avoid flying. But I know there is more I could do. I try to go beyond that and make a positive impact by campaigning and community action. I spend quite a bit of time talking to people about how they can help and make a difference.”

One step down from the Changemakers are the Committed. This group thinks that environmental issues are amongst the biggest challenges for the world to solve and that environmental and social issues are already having a big impact.

Critically for brands, they also believe they can make a difference through the choices they make as individuals, which drives their adoption of sustainable behaviours.

While not campaigners in the mould of Changemakers, they are keen to be more active in their sustainability journey and take on additional behaviour changes, normalising activities such as reducing home energy usage and waste.

They are another useful “early adopter” audience for Activist or Change brands and refillable brand Wild is popular among this group, because it shows them how they can reduce packaging waste further.

Brand activations need to authentically show how the brand can help them play their part to make the world a better place. There are still frictions to tackle, including convenience and accessibility but they don’t need a huge incentive to overcome them.

“I care about sustainability issues and think I can personally make a difference. I am doing a lot in terms behaving more sustainably most of the time, but I know there is more I could do to play my part in solving the problems. For example, I eat a mostly plant-based diet, have taken lots of steps to reduce household waste but I would like to do more. I am not currently taking part in protests/campaigning about environmental issues, but I do support protestors raising awareness of the issues.”

Many brands have approached sustainability as a premium opportunity and Strivers are probably the audience they have been aiming at. Brands can win with Strivers by making behaviour so attractive or easy that it’s a no-brainer for them to choose it.

Typically aged in their early forties or younger, they don’t mind paying a bit more for sustainable brands (but there are limits). What’s holding them back from making more changes to their lives is convenience. They want to take action but it has to be relatively easy to do so.

We find the biggest value-action gap among this group and they score highest on questions such as “too much effort” or “lack of accessible solutions” across all behaviours.

More than half say it is too much effort to further reduce their waste and 45% say they would only reduce air travel if other practical solutions were available.

The best way to approach The Strivers is to suggest small, foot-in-the-door behaviour changes. They do want to change but they need it to seem easy.

An example brand hero would be Who Gives a Crap, the toilet paper brand that makes it easy to buy a loo roll that doesn't require trees to be cut down.

"Sustainability issues are having a big impact in the world and I agree we all need to do our part to solve them. I don't mind paying a bit more for sustainable brands and I would use a zero-waste shop if there was one nearer to me or it was easier to do.

I do a few things most of the time, but I would like to reduce my negative impact in the world even more – it’s just hard to find the time to do this right now – it’s not always convenient or easy. It’s a bit overwhelming sometimes alongside everything else I have to do with a young family."

It’s time for action but it has to be practical and beneficial for the Pragmatists. The wins need not be sustainable, they can be money saving or involve making the most efficient choice but they agree we need to tackle sustainability issues.

The challenge is that the current economic climate makes it a hard problem to solve right now.

Typically mid-forties or older, this group has already taken on some behaviour change, particularly around waste reduction, water and energy reduction as well as taking fewer flights.

Key frictions are financial and accessibility – how easy is it for me to adopt this change. Brand messages need to dial up the benefits, whatever they are and emphasise the long-term cost benefits of more sustainable solutions such as refills.

A good example of a marketing message that is likely to appeal to this group comes from cleaning brand Smol, which overcomes the initial expense of refill buying bottles via free trials and gifts, while also celebrating the long-term rewards.

"I agree we need to tackle sustainability issues but the cost of living makes it hard to solve right now. I feel like I do quite a bit already though. I try to reduce waste and use less energy as it saves money. And I don’t fly that often. But at the moment I don’t really buy many sustainable brands as they tend to be more expensive. It’s also just not always that easy to find them. I would consider doing a bit more though if it could save me money."

While the other groups are reassuringly un-gendered, realists are more likely to be men. They speak their mind and don’t want to make any sacrifices or changes if no one else around them is doing so.

Their heart is in the right place, and they do want to help the world, but they also think it’s probably a bit too late and that it’s something that governments should be sorting out. Key frictions to taking action are the fact that they don’t see other people doing it and they don’t believe it will make a difference.

Brand messages need to address these challenges by showing that it’s not too late, that there is hope and that individual actions do add up and make a difference. Healthy optimism (while avoiding the pitfall of naivety) is key.

One brand that would connect is Change Please coffee, a UK social enterprise that trains homeless people to become baristas and provides support to help them turn their lives around. The power of a simple, small action to make a difference is appealing to the Realists.

“I feel like it’s a bit late now to save the planet! The government needs to take most responsibility to sort these issues, and I am not sure how much difference I can make myself. I do believe there is a problem, it’s just I don’t know what impact I can have on it. I also don't see other people doing much so why should I? I do try and at least make sure to do the basics like recycling, particularly so I don't get judged by other people!”

This group simply doesn’t engage with the topic of sustainability, and it doesn’t come up in conversations with family and friends. Disengaged consumers struggle to change their habits and routine so the message needs to be subtle to be effective.

Lighter touch sustainability messaging is more attractive, particularly where there is a clear focus on personal gain. A good example would be Oatly, which doesn’t often talk about sustainability but has instead identified messages around health a clear motivator for change.

“I don't think about sustainability very much, and it doesn’t come up in my friendship group. I am not in the habit of doing things like buying less or reducing waste. I find my current routine hard to break when it comes to behaviours like what I eat and buy as well. Oh, and I find the protestors annoying!"

This group is not interested in sustainability. Some of them think climate change might be a hoax. And they all think that, whatever is happening, it is not for them to fix!

You can still identify sustainable behaviours but the motivation for adopting them will not be a desire to contribute to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.

Our qualitative interviews found people in this group with electric cars and who were vegan but the motivations were the convenience of home charging and health respectively.

These examples illustrate the power of personal gain and being cooler, cheaper and easier is the best way to appeal. Ads such as "The soul of BMW" appeal as they fully focused on driving pleasure.

“I don't think about sustainability very much, there are other issues to worry about. I honestly think climate change could be one big hoax and it definitely is a natural process anyway. I certainly don't think I should have to behave more sustainably. And if it is true then it won’t really impact me as I won't be around!"