See how we categorise the population – and how world events have led to changing attitudes and priorities across the globe.
Our Eco Segmentation sits at the core of Who Cares? Who Does?. It divides the global population into three distinct consumer groups based on their plastic waste footprint.
We segment people based on the actions they take to reduce plastic. The actions we look at are everyday activities, from using a refillable water bottle to avoiding fruit and vegetables wrapped in plastic packaging.
While it can be argued that plastic is only one factor in the complex landscape of sustainability, we have found that actions in plastic reduction are well correlated with other sustainability-driven actions, such as eating less meat, buying second-hand items, and seeking out natural and organic products.
Additionally, reducing plastic waste is an area where we, as people, have some level of personal control – and taking action in this way is not directly linked to saving money (compared to, say, reducing car use, which would skew our findings).
(1) Please note that the statements have changed slightly this year. There has been some reduction in the statements used in the definition, due to law changes in the EU, where specific single-use products, such as cutlery, have been banned. We have removed these parts of the study, as these actions do not reflect personal choices. The back data shared has been reworked to be consistent, so you might notice small differences with the numbers on previous years.
The evolution of Eco Actives
For the first time in the report’s four-year history, we have seen numbers of Eco Actives, the most sustainable shoppers, decline when compared to the previous year.
Eco Actives dropped by 4% in 2022 compared to 2021 and 2020 – while Eco Dismissers rose by 7% to 44% of the global population.
This is an unprecedented shift – and amidst a growing urgency for climate action, it may come as a surprise. But all is not lost. While the number of Eco Actives have indeed dropped compared to pandemic figures, they still remain above 2019 levels.
Eco Actives are currently worth over $376bn to FMCG. Eco Considerers are also worth $766bn – and are not a group to be forgotten when brands are considering their environmental credentials and brand growth. When we total the global population that have at least some interest in sustainability, this amounts to $1.14 trillion in spending. It is clear that, despite fluctuations, the environmental angle for products and categories is still rich territory for any brand to target.
But these changing dynamics in group sizes are not the whole story. To fully understand the picture, we must view the trends through both a micro and macro lens.
The global picture
The drop in Eco Actives compared with pandemic levels is not a universal story – though it is certainly a global trend.
When we break the data out to a country level and home in on the Eco Actives, we see a varied outlook. Some markets have heavy drops of five per cent or over; Spain tops the list, but joining the group are Ireland, Portugal, and India. On the opposite end of the scale, France, the US, and Colombia are outliers with flat or growing Eco Active groups.
We will look at the stories of France and Colombia in the next chapter and analyse how and why they bucked the trend.
What is shifting the sustainability story?
When we analyse the countries with the largest decline in Eco Actives, we see them focused on concerns on the economy and the war in Ukraine.
Amidst a difficult world climate, from conflict to political instability to spiralling costs and inflation, environmental issues have dropped down the priority list for many people in their day-to-day worries. It is perhaps unsurprising that against these very prominent and present issues, that sustainability and its more long-term negative effects are not being prioritised.
And we are living in a post-pandemic era, which has its own effects. As lifestyles have got busier, more people are back to work and social lives are back on track, people don’t have the time they may have had during government and state-enforced lockdowns. The means a return to seeking convenience over plastic-free items: we have seen people buying fewer refills, avoiding plastic less and buying plastic drinks bottles more, which may be a symptom of this ‘back to normal’, time-poor lifestyle, as we experienced pre-Covid. There is also the added hygiene factor that comes with single-use items off the back of the pandemic, from masks to coffee cups.
Economy vs. environment: the cost of conscious consumption
There is evidence to suggest that economic struggles are making it harder to act sustainably. In fact, 45% of people said that they agree or strongly agree to the statement “I have found it harder to act sustainably recently due to social or financial constraints”. By contrast, only 15% disagreed with the statement.
Shoppers are likely, in a tough financial climate, to have less money to spend on sustainable products which are often priced at a premium. And when budgeting is front of mind, choosing discounts, volume over price, and cheaper alternatives become front of mind, and take precedence over a product’s sustainability credentials or packaging.
Fundamentally, many plastic-free brands and products come at a price premium or are only available in specialist shops or online. For many, it can be hard to control household spend when visiting a wide range of stores and channels compared to doing a larger, one-stop shop. As such, when people shop in bigger supermarkets instead of local markets and smaller stores, they are met with fresh foods wrapped in plastic. Supermarkets also tend to offer a wide range of convenient ready-to-eat goods which are also heavily packaged.
Lead from the front and people will follow
Another reason for the drop off in Eco Actives could be some disillusionment with the progress made so far in fighting the climate crisis.
This is a group that thrives on optimism, yet we found that there is cynicism among them regarding how far brands are going, and how much brands truly care about the environment.
Over 50% agreed that all companies only care about profits and eco claims are just another marketing tool.
Overall, the places where the most people felt brands were concerned with profits rather than the environment came from Germany, Belgium, and Spain – countries which also saw some of the largest drops in Eco Actives. This suggests that pessimism could be reducing people’s desire to act.
A key factor in setting Eco Actives apart from other groups is that they are more likely to strongly agree with the statement ‘I feel I can make a difference to the world around me through the choices I make and the actions I take’. 31% of Eco Actives strongly agreed with this statement, compared to only 8% amongst the Eco Dismissers. But for Eco Actives to make these choices, they must be available to them in the first place.
The message consumers are sending to brands is clear: be the standard bearer for sustainable products and shoppers will stand behind you.
