Companies Worldwide Could Face Customer Backlash if They Fail to Take Action on Climate Change
09 December 2021: New global research released recently shows in the next 12 months; 59% of consumers worldwide intend to start boycotting brands who don’t take action on climate change. There is also almost unanimous support for companies to not only do the right thing for the planet, but also to ‘show by example’. 91% of people want brands to demonstrate they are making positive choices about the planet and environment more explicitly – in everything they do.
The findings are part of a new global study by dentsu international and Microsoft Advertising examining consumer awareness and engagement with issues linked to sustainable consumption and media use. More than 24,000 people from 19 countries around the world participated in the research and, some of the key results have been explored in a new summary report titled “The Rise of Sustainable Media”.
The willingness and desire to actively embrace more sustainable lifestyles has crossed over to the mainstream with 87% of those surveyed saying they want to do more to combat climate change. In fact, climate change is the most commonly identified concern by consumers, ahead of the COVID-19 pandemic (85%), the health of their friends and family (79%), or the cost of living (76%).
With climate change topping their concerns, almost half (45%) of people say they would consider alternative brands, companies or services which are greener or more environmentally friendly than their current choices. Moreover, 30% of respondents say they are willing to pay more for brands which offer those greener alternatives.
However, many consumers don’t know where to start, and feel overwhelmed by options and conflicting information: 84% said it is difficult to know whether brands and companies are truly good green citizens. To help tackle this potential disinformation dilemma, 42% of people now think companies should provide clear, comparable information on the footprint of their products and advertising in order to make them greener.
Peter Huijboom, Global CEO, Media & Global Clients, dentsu international, comments; “The customer actions and potential boycotts we unearthed in our research are squarely down to the consumer’s perception of a company and its behaviour, not necessarily the reality. We know many organisations are already taking positive action on climate change. As marketing experts it’s our responsibility to guide businesses and help educate and inform their customers, in order make them think, feel and act differently.
As such, the marketing and advertising industry also has a critical role to play and, we need to work collaboratively to do this authentically; by walking the walk in how we deliver these messages through sustainable media.”
