Sustainable Consumption in India 2021 Report

Consumer Insights report

Sustainable Consumption in India 2021 Report

This report provides insights into attitudes, consumer behavior and brand perception with regard to sustainability in the categories of food & beverages, beauty & personal care, and fashion. It is based on the representative survey "Sustainable Consumption 2021" and covers sustainable eCommerce as well as drivers and barriers of sustainable consumption. A total of 1,037 people from India aged 16 and over were surveyed for the study.

Topics include:

  • Status of sustainability
  • Food and beverages
  • Beauty and personal care
  • Fashion
  • eCommerce

Table of contents

Sustainability is seen as a decision-forming purchase criterion
Around 30% of Indian consumers think that sustainability is a buzzword and will lose importance in the future. This could be caused by a lack of customer trust in companies that claim to be sustainable: Nearly 40% state that the term of eco-friendliness is exploited by brands for the benefit of selling products more expensively. But although consumers are suspicious about the future of eco-friendliness, they still change their behavior for sustainability reasons. Eco-friendliness also is an important purchase criterion for many: approximately one third of those surveyed name sustainability as an important factor for purchasing decisions in all categories. However, quality is especially prioritized.

Brands with a negative sustainability policy are at risk of being cancelled
Consumers also tend to punish brands and stores with poor sustainability policies by avoiding or even boycotting them: e.g., 30% say they have stopped buying a certain brand in the fashion sector due to a lack of sustainability. Consumers aged 30 to 49 are willing to go even further: every fifth respondent who changed purchase behavior for sustainability reasons reported boycotting a brand or store due to its negative sustainability policy.

Main drivers for sustainable purchases are quality, environment, and health
A better quality of eco-friendly products, a good impact on the environment, and personal and/or family-related health speak for sustainable purchases across all categories. Approximately every second respondent indicates these criteria as the main reasons for buying sustainable food & beverages, beauty & personal care products, and fashion items.

Good prospects for sustainable eCommerce
Although a majority of 60% of online shoppers have returned packages in the past year, nearly every consumer (90%) says he/she would be willing to pay more for delivery if CO2-neutral shipping were guaranteed in return. Sustainable aspects certainly play a role in eCommerce: environmentally-friendly packaging and minimal packaging waste are indicated as important delivery criteria by nearly 50% and nearly 30% of respondents, respectively. However, free and fast shipping is far higher up the priority list.

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