【益普索】PublicINC-2025消費(fèi)者報(bào)告

ConsciousConsumerReport

Introduction

Introduction

2025ConsciousConsumerReport2

Introduction

Ifsustainablepurchasesaligned

withconsumerintentions,

consciousconsumerismwould

accountforover

We’veallseenthereports:

Consumershaveanoverwhelmingappetiteforsustainableproductsandservices.They’llevenpaya

premiumforthem.

Butweknowfromourdecadesasimpactmarketersthatrealityhits

di?erent.Whilethesustainable

economyisgrowing,it’snot

matchingthesupposedappetiteforsustainableproducts.

70%

ofallpurchases.

3

2025ConsciousConsumerReport

Introduction

2025ConsciousConsumerReport4

InsteadPublicInc.’sConsciousConsumerIndexfindsit

sittingatamodest

%

38

Thisindexre?ectstheaverageportionofpurchasesconsidered"conscious"-de?nedasproductsor

servicesmadewithconsiderationforsocial,ethical,orenvironmentalfactors.

Thisisthesay-dogap

—thechasmbetweenwhat

consumersclaimtovalueandwhattheyactuallybuy.

Someattributeittocost.Othersblameavailability,perceivede?ectiveness,

andunderstanding.Untilnowwe’vebeenunabletopinpointacentral

culpritduetoalackofinsightintothetradeo?sconsumersarewillingor

unwillingtomake.

Introduction

Wesetouttodemystifythesay-dogap

andidentifythestrategiesfor

closingit.

Togrowsustainablebusiness,we

havetoimproveourunderstandingofthebarriersthatimpedepurchase.

Andin2025,thisunderstandingismorevitalthanever—otherwiseweriskstagnatinggrowthofthe

sustainableeconomy,thesuccessofwhichiscriticalinahighlyturbulentsocio-politicallandscape.

2025ConsciousConsumerReport5

Introduction

The?ndingsoutlinedinthisreporto?ermarketersandsustainabilityleaders

insighttounlockthepotentialofthesustainableeconomy

Thisreportwasdesignedfor

companieso?eringexclusively

sustainableproductsorcompanieswithacombinationofconventionalandsustainablebrands.

Whois(andisn’t)aconscious

consumer?Whatbeliefsand

behavioursdriveconscious

consumerism?Andwhatproductclaimssealthedealwiththe

sustainableshopper?

2025ConsciousConsumerReport6

2025ConsciousConsumerReport7

Introduction

ExecutiveSummary

3

Tounlockgrowth,speaktothe?ip-?oppers.

3outof4consumersviewthemselvesasaconscious

consumer,butonlyactaccordinglyapproximately?ofthetime.

Themajorityofconsumerswanttomaketheworldabetterplace.Stoppreachingtotheconverted,insteadlooktogrowthecongregation.

1

Confusingclaimsarethe#1inhibitor

ofconsciousconsumerism.

49%ofallconsumershavewalkedawayfromproductswithconfusingsustainabilityclaims.Thenumberskyrocketsto87%amongstthemostconsciousconsumers.

ToincreasetherateofconsciousconsumerisminCanadaandAmerica,simplifylanguageandtapintoconsumermotivations.

Appealtothe“meconsumer”notthe“weconsumer.”

CanadianandAmericanconsumersaremotivatedbylanguageandclaimsthat“meettheirpersonalneedsandvaluesintheeveryday”.

Greenandscience-basedclaimsarethepoorestperforming

motivatorsofconsciousconsumerism.Thebiggestfactorthatleadstopurchaseisabeliefthat“thisproductisvaluableinmyeverydaylife”.

4

Talkaboutproductbene?tsintheshortterm,notthelongterm.

CanadiansandAmericansrespondbettertostatementswithpresentdaybene?tvsfuturebene?t

Overwhelmedconsumerswanttoknowhowtheirpurchasemakestheirlifebetteroreasiertoday,notinanabstractfuturethatis

becomingincreasinglyunimaginableastheworldchangesatarapidpace.

2

Introduction

Ifyoutakeonethingfrom

thisstudy,knowthis:

Confusingclaimsare

killingtheconsciouschoice.

2025ConsciousConsumerReport8

2025ConsciousConsumerReport9

Introduction

76%ofCanadiansandAmericanssaytheyareconsciousconsumers,but

onlyshoptheirvalues38%ofthetime.

Thedisconnectisfrequently

attributedtocost,easeofaction,andperceivedproducte?ectiveness.Butourresearchrevealsanewtop

culprit:Confusingclaims.

Brandswithsustainableo?eringsarelosingconsumersbyleadingwith

confusingclaims,languageandmessaging.

Whatdowemeanbyclaims?A

statementmadebyacompanyaboutthebene?ts,features,or

performanceoftheirproductor

service.Thisreportisfocusedon

consumerfacingclaimsthatappearinmarketingandonpackagingtopromotetheproductandin?uenceconsumerdecision-making.

49%

Clearclaimsaren’tjust

87%

49%

nice-to-have;they’rethedifferencebetweenclosingthesay-dogapandwatchingitgrowwider.

1.Nearly49%ofallconsumershavewalkedawayfromproductswithconfusingsustainabilityclaims.

2.Thisnumberskyrocketsto87%amongstthemostcommittedconsciousconsumers.

2025ConsciousConsumerReport10

Introduction

Foryearswe’vebeenmissingthemarkon

sustainabilitycommunications

Sustainabilitymarketershave

traditionallypositionedsustainabilityastheprimarysellingfeature,the

openingandclosingpitch.Andforgoodreason,itstemsfromabeliefthatouro?eringscandrivesocialandenvironmentalbene?t.Surelyconsumersfeelthesame?Buttheydon’t.

Consumers-people-arefocusedontheirownneedsversusthe

collective.Theycaredeeplyabouttheissuestheyfeelmostimpactedby,liketheeconomy,housingandhealthcare.

Weneedtobringsustainabilitybackfromfutureabstraction(“better

tomorrow”,“asustainableworldforfuturegenerations”,“creatinga

tomorrowthatworksforeveryone”)intopresentdayvalue.And,of

course,maintaincomplianceamidan

ever-growingbodyofgreenclaimsregulations.

Don’tletthecurrentnewscycle

confuseyou:Sustainabilitymessagesfrombusinessesstillmatter.Infact,

they’venevermatteredmore.Ifyouoperateresponsibly,aregoodto

yourpeople,andsellproductsorservicesthathelppeopleandtheplanet,youcanandshouldbene?t.

Consumers-people-

arefocusedontheir

ownneedsversusthe

collective.

Introduction

Andno,thesay-dogapisn’t

allaboutthemoney

Whilecostisafactor,it'sagrossoversimpli?cationofwhypeopledon'tmakesustainablechoices,becauseitistrueofanypurchase.

Anabundanceofresearchsayspeoplewillpaymoreforsustainableproducts.Anequalamountsayscostisthe#1

barriertosustainablepurchase.Confusing?Yes.

Thisparadoxstemsfromthedi?erencebetweenconsciousintentand

unconsciousbehaviorinshopping

environments.Withoutdistractionsandtradeo?s,consumersareopento

payingapremium.

Intheshoppingenvironment,time-

pressedanddistractedconsumersare

in?uencedbyeverythingfromwhat’sintheirbankaccounttowhattheyate

yesterday.Theunconsciousmind

takesoverandtheygenerallydefaulttopreviouspurchasingdecisions.

Whilemarketersalwaysconsiderandnavigatetheirpricingstrategy,there

aremanyothersigni?cantfactors-

internalandexternaltobusiness-thatimpactthepriceofproductsand

services.Sowhilewediddigintothecostbarrier,wehavefocusedthis

reportontheaspectsmarketerscandirectlyin?uence,aswebelievethesewillsigni?cantlyimpacttheoverallrateofconsciousconsumerisminCanadaandAmerica.

2025ConsciousConsumerReport11

Introduction

58

%

ofpeoplesurveyedsaidtheywouldpaymoreforproductsandservicesthatareethicalandsustainable.

2025ConsciousConsumerReport12

Thedi?erencebetweenthecostofsustainableand

conventionalproductsisshrinking(accordingtoarecentNYUSternreport)butfewconsumersareaware.

Nearlyhalfofpeoplesurveyeddisagreedwiththestatementthatsustainableproductsaren’talwaysmoreexpensivethan

conventionalproducts.

Introduction

Giventhissnapshotofdesire,

confusion,andurgency,PublicInc.partneredwithIPSOStoinvestigatethedriversofconscious

consumerismandtheclaimsthatsupportpurchase.

Oursurveyofover3,000CanadiansandAmericansofferedupinsightsonhowmarketerscannarrowthe

2025ConsciousConsumerReport13

say-dogap.

Introduction

First,weidentifiedwhois(andisn’t)a“ConsciousConsumer”.

2025ConsciousConsumerReport14

-LowerEd

2025ConsciousConsumerReport15

Introduction

SustainabilityStewardstendtobewomenwithhigherlevelsof

educationandhouseholdincome.

MenwithlowerlevelsofeducationandhouseholdincomearemoreprominentintheApatheticActorcategory.

Segmentsaredeterminedbythe

frequencyofconsciousconsumer

behaviour.Atoneendofthe

spectrumareSustainabilityStewardswhoshoptheirvalues80-100%ofthetime.AttheotherendareApatheticActorswhoneverdo.

These?ndingstrendalongsideothersthatlinkconsciousconsumer

behaviourtoearningandeducationlevels.Howeverthereareimportantnewinsightsthataddnuancetothesesegments.

Meetthefive

consciousconsumersegments

MoreConsciousLessConscious

9%

15%

20%

25%

31%

SustainabilityStewards

[Consumersthathave

made16-20valuesbasedpurchasesoutofthelast20purchases]

Morelikelytobe…

-Female

-Under54

-HaveChildren

-HigherHHI

-HigherEd

Ethical

Enthusiasts

[Consumersthathave

made10-15valuesbasedpurchasesoutofthelast20purchases]

Morelikelytobe…

-18-34

-Newcomer

-HaveChildren

Mindful

Moderates

[Consumersthathave

made6-9valuesbasedpurchasesoutofthelast20purchases]

Morelikelytobe…

-18-34

-HaveChildren

Casual

Contributors

[Consumersthathave

made0.5-5valuesbasedpurchasesoutofthelast20purchases]

Morelikelytobe…

-Over35

ApatheticActors

[Consumersthathave

made0valuesbased

purchasesoutofthelast20purchases]

Morelikelytobe…

-Over55

-Male

-NoChildren

-Non-Immigrant

-LowerHHI

2025ConsciousConsumerReport16

Introduction

New,surprisingdetails

They’realittleolderthanyouthink.

Consciousconsumerismisn’ta

MillennialorGenZtrend.It’sa

behaviourcommontoconsumers

undertheageof54.While

consumers55+domakea

signi?cantlysharpturntowardtheApatheticActorsegment,marketershavenarrow-castedtheaudience

forsustainableproductsbyskewingtooyoung.

Americansaremore

consciousthanCanadians.

Thesay-dogapismore

pronouncedamongstCanadiansthanAmericans,withfewer

CanadiansfallingintotheMindfulModerate,EthicalEnthusiast,andSustainabilityStewardsegments.

Newcomersare

notablechampions.

InCanada,immigrantsarenearly2xaslikelytofallintotheSustainabilityStewardandEthicalEnthusiast

segments;andsigni?cantlylesslikelytobeanApatheticActor.

Adultswithchildrenhavehigherlevelsofconsciousconsumerism.

Peoplewithoutchildrenaremorelikelytoreportlowlevelsof

consciousconsumerbehaviour,suggestingparenthoodisa

motivatingfactorinvalues-basedpurchasing.

Insight1

2025ConsciousConsumerReport17

Insight

Althoughthe?veconsciousconsumer

segmentsvaryintheirfrequencyof

sustainablepurchases,thereissigni?cantbeliefandbehavioraloverlapindicatingthatwecanencourageallsegmentstoincreasetheirpurchasefrequency.

Insight1

2025ConsciousConsumerReport18

Consumersagree:

Businessplaysaroleinsociety.Andmoneytalks.

Nomatterhowoftentheymakevalues-basedpurchases,consumersarefairlyuni?edintheirperspectiveonthe

rolebusinessshouldplayinsociety,andtheactionstheythemselvesarewillingtotake.

Climatechangeposesaseriousthreat:

agreeing

g6%

Companiesshouldbedoingmoreintermsofsustainabilityandethicalbestpractices:

1%

0%

Themajorityofpeoplewanttohelpmaketheworldabetterplace.

2%

g6%

Themajorityofpeoplebelievethatbeing

purposefulinhowtheyspendtheirmoneyisoneofthebestwaystomotivatecompaniestochange.

g9%g9%

2025ConsciousConsumerReport19

Insight1

Valuesareagrowing

influenceonpurchasingdecisions.

Consumerstradeoneproductforanotherbasedonsocialand

environmentalbene?t.

Ifaproductistotingasocialor

environmentalbene?t,consumersarelikelytofavourthatoptionoveranothersimilarproduct.

“Tradeo?s”aremostcommonin

consumable(56%)andhousehold

cleaningproducts(54%).Anotableportionofrespondentshavemadesimilartradeo?sforpersonalitems(47%)andwearables(44%)indicatingethicalconsiderationsarealso

in?uencingpersonaland

fashion-relatedchoices.

Consumersareboycottingor

buycottingbrandsthatdon’taligntotheirvalues-atrendthatwill

continuetogrowinyearstocome.

Nearlyhalf(43%)ofCanadiansandAmericansreportchangingtheir

purchasebehaviour-suchas

boycottingaproductorcompany-duetosocialorethicalconcerns;athird(35%)havemadesuchchangesforenvironmentalreasons.Overhalf(55%)ofrespondentsindicatetheyarelikelytochangetheirpurchasebehavioursforsocialorethical

reasonswithinthenextyear.A

further50%saytheywilldosoforenvironmentalconcerns.

2025ConsciousConsumerReport20

Insight1

Asignificantmajorityof

CanadiansandAmericans

subscribetothebenefitsof

sustainableproductsandviewthemselvesasconscious

consumers.

Theybelieveinthebene?tsofsustainableproducts…

100%

70%

30%

70%believesustainableproductsmakelifebetterforpeopleinthesupplychain.

100%

75%

25%

75%believethatsustainableproductsmakelifebetterforfuturegenerations.

100%

68%

32%

68%agreethatsustainableproducts

improvethehealthandwell-beingoftheirchildrenandfamily.

100%

65%

35%

65%agreethatsustainableproductsimprovetheirownlives.

Andalionsharesee

ilmer.76%

75%ofCanadiansand76%ofAmericansidentifyasaconsciousconsumer.

Insight1

Implications

Here’sthegoodnews:Thegrowthopportunityforsustainablebusinessdoesnotsitneatlywithinone

consumersegmentastraditionallythought.Itsitswithinall,asthis

researchshows.

Theircoreaudience(huntersand

anglers)arenotthetypicaltargetofsustainablebrandsandyethave

respondedpositivelytocampaignsthatlinktheirdurableproductswithwastereduction.

Fromtheskeptictothetruebeliever,themajorityofconsumersare

predisposedtowantingtodotherightthing.

Despitethesedivisivetimeswe’relivingin,peoplearemotivatedtomakepurchasingdecisionsthataligntotheirvaluesandare

prepared(attimes)topenalizebusinessesthatdonot.

Aterri?cexampleofthis

implication-in-actionisYETI’s

outstandingsuccess.Thebusiness,nowvaluedatover$3billion,

corneredthecoolermarketbyo?eringadurableproductatapremiumprice.

2025ConsciousConsumerReport21

Insight2

2025ConsciousConsumerReport22

Insight

Tocapitalizeonconsumerdesiretomaketheconsciouschoice,wehaveto

strengthentheirabilitytoidentify

sustainableproductsandcreateclear

heromessagesthatconveyimmediatebene?ts.

Insight2

Wesetouttoidentifywhichbehaviouraldriversaremostpredictiveofconsciousconsumerism

BehaviorChange

Tounderstandthefactorsmostandleastassociatedwithconscious

consumerismwetestedstatementsalignedtoIPSOS’proprietary

behaviourchangeframework,MAPPS.

MAPPSidenti?es?vecriteriathat

drivechange.Theinsightsproducedfromthisanalysisallowsbusinessestoidentifyopportunitiesandgaps

withinservicesandstrategies.

Motivation

DoIwantto

doit?

Ability

AmIableto

doit?

Processing

Howwethinkaboutit.

Physical

Doesthecontextencourageit?

Social

Whatotherpeopledo&value

Ofthe?vedrivers,threerosetothesurfaceasprioritiesforclosingthesay-dogap.

2025ConsciousConsumerReport23

Insight2

2025ConsciousConsumerReport24

Mostimportantlyconsumershavetoknowwhatthey’relookingfor.

Inbothmarkets,thesinglemost

importantfactorimpactingthelevelofconsciousconsumerismisthe

people’sabilitytounderstandandidentifysustainableproducts(i.e.,processing).

Ourresearchshowsthatnearly50%

ofallconsumersabandonproductsduetoconfusingsustainability

claims.That?gureskyrocketsto87%amongstthemostconscious

consumers.

Motivation

Ability

Processing

Physical

Social

Afterunderstanding,Canadians

prioritizemotivationaldriverswhileAmericansprioritizeability.

Thisstudyproducedfewnoteworthydi?erencesbetweenmarkets.This?ndingistheexception.

Insight2

2025ConsciousConsumerReport25

Totapintomotivation

thebenefithastobenow,notlater.

CanadiansandAmericansrespond

bettertomotivationalstatementswithpresentdaybene?tvsfuturebene?t

Sustainableproducts

improvethehealthand

well-beingofmychildren/family

Sustainableproductsimprovemyhealthandwell-being

Sustainableproductsmakelifebetterforothersinthesupply

chain(thepeopleandpartnersinvolvedinmaking/deliveringaproduct)

Sustainableproductsmakelifebetterforfuturegenerations

●Canada

●UnitedStates

Insight2

76

%

ofCanadianandAmericanconsumerssaytheyareaconsciousconsumer,

yetonlyactonthesevalues

ofthetime.

2025ConsciousConsumerReport26

Howcanmarketersapplytheselearningstobridgethegapbetweenintentionandaction?

2025ConsciousConsumerReport27

Insight2

1

Implications

FROM

Weneedtoempowerconsumerstomakeinformed,sustainablechoiceswhileshopping.Themostsigni?cant

hurdlehereisconfusingproductEnergye?cientlightbulbs

claims.

Totackleconfusion,wemustsimplifysustainabilityclaimsacrossthe

consumerjourney-fromadstoshelf-

Naturalcleaner

clearlycommunicatingtheproduct’ssocialandenvironmentalbene?tinawaythatiseasytointuit.

Whenconsumersaremaking

purchasingdecisions,it’scrucialthat

Ethicallymade

theproductmessagingresonateswithfamiliar,pre-existingconceptsrather

thanintroducingnew,confusingclaims.Ifcons