CONSUMERS ARE UNIFIED ON PRIORITIZING SUSTAINABILITY

March 14, 2022

As lifestyles continue to change and we navigate the world within a new normal, it can often be difficult to find issues on which all Americans agree. Because opinions can vastly differ regionally across the country, depending on what the people living within each region prioritize, it makes recent findings of consumer attitudes on sustainability quite remarkable.
 

Sustainability and Food Retailing, the newest study from the Coca‑Cola Retailing Research Council of North America, takes a detailed look into shopper priorities on a wide range of social and sustainability issues and, surprisingly, finds incredible agreement in all regions of the US.
 

Of the consumers surveyed within the Unites States, all said voting is the single most important personal goal across all regions, but recycling and limiting food waste are a close second and third, with the specific ranking differing across regions.
 

Another unifying expectation that shoppers across all regions have of food retailers is partnering with or donating food that is close to expiring to food banks. Shoppers within the Pacific and Mountain regions expect food retailers to not sell products that endanger wildlife, while shoppers in East North Central and East South Central expect retailers to offer shoppers points or prizes for the amount of waste saved through purchases and recycling.
 

The clear message to supermarkets, food retailers and their supplier partners is that shoppers see sustainability as an important issue and have clear expectations of their local food retailer to help them lessen their environmental impact. The report indicates that while shoppers may have different sustainability priorities region to region, they all agree that the food retailers from which they purchase from must make tangible efforts to make a difference.
 

For more information on the sustainability goals of shoppers, download the report for free: