Cost ‘a barrier’ to sustainable product choices for 2 in 5 people, survey finds

The cost of sustainable goods is a deterrent for many people, with two in five people saying they have not bought sustainable goods in the past four weeks due to the price, a survey by Deloitte has found.

More than half of lower income people – 53 per cent – identified cost as the reason they had not recently purchased sustainable goods, compared with 27 per cent of higher income people.

Almost half of consumers in Ireland reported changing their personal behaviour in a bid to take positive action for the climate, Deloitte’s global sustainability survey found, while almost two-thirds – 64 per cent – of consumers purchased sustainable products sometimes or often.

While 59 per cent of those who assessed themselves as lower income earners said they purchased sustainable products sometimes or often, this rose to 65 per cent for middle income earners.

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Some 1,000 consumers in Ireland were surveyed as part of the business consulting giant’s research, which includes views from more than 20,000 consumers worldwide.

“This report shows that sustainable actions are being driven by access and opportunity, not attitudes,” said Deloitte Ireland head of sustainability Glenn Gillard.

“We can see from the research that cost continues to be a barrier for consumers, and the ability to produce sustainable products in an affordable manner is a key challenge for businesses, given the research, development and production changes required.”

The survey also indicated that consumers were looking at their employers’ response to climate action, with only 31 per cent believing their employer was doing enough to address climate change.

“The high number of consumers choosing to buy sustainable goods should encourage leaders in business and government that large numbers of customers, workers and constituents are prioritising environmental considerations, even in the face of numerous uncertainties,” Mr Gillard said.

More needed to be done to incentivise the public to cut carbon emissions by choosing sustainable travel methods, he added. Only 16 per cent of consumers said they always, or whenever possible, used lower emission transportation and avoided optional or leisure flights.