Introduction

Sustainability in times of instability

Sustainability has been the key trend in the past years, additionally fuelled by the pandemic. And now? Is sustainability being overruled by concerns of inflation? Do consumers still care? And if they do, how does this translate into their shopping behavior against the backdrop of the current cost-of-living crisis?

The crises that have arisen over the last years, from climate change to COVID-19, from the war in Ukraine to the resulting inflation dynamically changed trends, priorities, and habits. This whitepaper explores recent developments in sustainability and respective consumer attitudes. How do aspects of sustainability influence consumer behavior now and in the near future?

Sustainability in times of inflation: essential success factors for sustainable brands are described in two case studies – Flower Farm and Danke.

Our guest author, Irina Ivanova, Sustainability Lead for business excellence in Consumer Goods at Essity, provides detailed insights into the challenges of sustainability and inflation from a corporate perspective, and the successful implementation of sustainability as a core brand value.

The findings and analyses shared in this whitepaper primarily originate from the two major GfK surveys and purchasable reports – “#Who cares, Who does ‘22”, covering more than 98,000 households in over a dozen European countries, and “Green Gauge FMCG '22”, including the most recent results of a survey on sustainability habits, which GfK has been doing for more than ten years in up to 28 countries.

GfK. Growth from Knowledge

For over 85 years, we have earned the trust of our clients around the world by supporting them in business-critical decision-making processes around consumers, markets, brands, and media. Our reliable data and insights, together with advanced AI capabilities, have revolutionized access to real-time, actionable recommendations that drive marketing, sales and organizational effectiveness of our clients and partners. That’s how we promise and deliver Growth from Knowledge.

Petra Süptitz, Director Marketing and Consumer Intelligence, GfK Petra.Sueptitz@gfk.com

Lenneke Schils, Global Insights Director FMCG, GfK Lenneke.Schils@gfk.com

In addition to this whitepaper, click the button below for the on demand GfK webinar “Green ambitions, golden opportunities: Sustainability in times of instability”.

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