Amidst claims that consumers are making conscious buying decisions based on sustainability, a recent survey show paradoxically that consumers place little trust in company sustainability claims. Sustainability Online reports
“Trust in corporate sustainability claims is ‘on a downward slope’, a new study by 3BL has suggested, with close to a quarter (23%) of consumers saying that they ‘rarely’ or ‘almost never’ believe what firms are saying about their sustainability efforts.”
Even so –
“more and more consumers are increasingly making purchasing decisions aligned with their values – some 73% of consumers believe their buying habits can influence corporate behaviour, while 80% prefer shopping with businesses that continue supporting DEI, even despite recent pushback against these programmes.
More than half (56%), meanwhile, say sustainability impacts their day-to-day lifestyle choices.”
Business priorities may be rubbing against the current greenhushing trend (based on concern for legal risk) because consumers support companies that say something about sustainability:
“Some 28% of consumers say they are more likely to trust companies that provide clear, verifiable data, while 25% value a ‘history of action’, particularly when it comes to sustainability. In addition, consumers even appreciate businesses to be honest and open about their failings – 44% of consumers think more highly of companies that openly share when something didn’t work.”
Which is better – staying quiet about corporate sustainability efforts in hopes of avoiding being a small blip on regulatory and plaintiff radar screens, or growing revenues through improving consumer access to information?
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