Turning Intention to Action in Sustainable Purchasing: Bridging Values and Consumer Behavior

A recent report co-authored by Deloitte and the Ad Council, featured in The Wall Street Journal, delves into the persistent gap between consumers’ professed commitment to sustainability and their actual purchasing behavior. This analysis offers actionable insights for marketers aiming to enhance the market success of sustainable products.

The Sustainability-Action Gap

Consumers overwhelmingly express concern for environmental and social sustainability in polls. However, when it comes to buying decisions, factors like price, taste, quality, and immediate value frequently outweigh sustainability considerations. Nelson Kunkel, Deloitte’s Managing Director and Chief Marketing Officer for Sustainability, notes a stark decline in prioritizing sustainable products at the checkout despite articulated values.

Key Findings from Deloitte’s Survey

• Price Sensitivity: Most consumers prioritize cost, often opting for cheaper, non-sustainable alternatives.
• Trust and Clarity Issues: Confusion over numerous sustainability claims (e.g., non-GMO, organic, earth-friendly) leads to skepticism, especially about claims from larger corporations.
• Desire for Tangible Benefits: Consumers seek concrete, personal benefits—such as health and wellness—when choosing sustainable products.

Making Sustainability Tangible: Lessons from HOPE Hydration

Jorge Richardson, CEO of HOPE Hydration, shares his company’s experience in launching water refill stations to replace single-use plastic bottles. Initially emphasizing sustainability, convenience, and premium experience in that order, HOPE Hydration struggled for traction. When the messaging shifted to position their solution as a premier digital advertising platform with sustainability as a secondary benefit, growth accelerated dramatically.

This highlights that coupling sustainability with immediate, tangible benefits—convenience for users, revenue for venues, visibility for advertisers—can drive adoption and scale.

Recommendations for Marketers

• Shift from Moral to Business Imperative: Nelson Kunkel advises marketers to emphasize concrete product features like taste, quality, and value, embedding sustainability as a complementary brand value over time.
• Avoid Consumer Shame: Derrick Feldmann cautions against scolding consumers for not prioritizing sustainability. Instead, focus on illustrating direct personal and family benefits.
• Use Data-Driven Strategies: As HOPE Hydration exemplifies, data and A/B testing can illuminate effective messaging that balances sustainability with other key buyer motivations.
• Build Consumer Trust: Transparency and education around sustainability claims are crucial to overcome consumer confusion and skepticism.

Conclusion

Sustainable products achieve higher market success when aligned with consumers’ immediate interests and needs, such as health benefits, convenience, and quality. Authentic integration of sustainability into brand values, supported by clear messaging and trust-building, can progressively turn good intentions into smart purchasing actions. This strategic approach positions sustainability not just as an ethical choice but as an innovative and desirable feature of products that resonates with today’s discerning consumers.

References:

1. Retail Customer Experience: Consumers Still Care About Sustainability
2. Imperial College Business School: Do Consumers Really Care About Sustainability?
3. Deloitte & Ad Council: Unpacking the Sustainability Dilemma – How Consumer Values Become Choices

Published June 2024 as part of Deloitte Executive Perspectives in The Wall Street Journal.

Design Delight Studio curates high-impact, authoritative insights into sustainable and organic product trends, helping conscious consumers and innovative brands stay ahead in a fast-evolving green economy.