New figures from the annual Attitudes To UK Industry study* suggest consumers are further along the journey towards prioritising carbon reduction and efficient energy usage than industrial and services companies may think. In fact seven out of ten UK adults believe there should be a UK brand mark to signal a company’s operations reach a certain standard by using clean and renewable energy, and more than one in three (35%) would pay more for goods if the supplier was known to be investing into more sustainable sources of energy.
The news was welcomed as an important indicator of changing public opinion as consumer understanding about energy demands and effects grows. Jamie Cook, event manager of The Renewables Event, to be held on 11-12 September, at The NEC, Birmingham, stressed the importance of companies aligning themselves with public sentiment: “Energy ratings for buildings, both private and public along with domestic appliances have been around for some time, so the concept of measuring the environmental impact of our lives is one that consumers are increasingly aware of. Extending this principle to other products and services we buy is not a great leap of the imagination for the savvy modern consumer.” He explained how forward thinking companies could use this to their advantage: “With the cost of energy from traditional sources continuing on an upwards trend, managing energy consumption and looking into the potential for onsite renewables has a very strong business case – in fact we created The Renewables Event, which is free-to-attend and runs alongside The Energy Event, to cater for the thirst for knowledge and information in this area. It is the only event in the UK to focus solely on offering practical solutions to onsite energy generation for the industrial, commercial and public sector companies.”
Adding further weight to the idea that energy sustainability should be considered a key selling point is the proof people are prepared to dig deeper for products that come with assurance of sustainable provenance. Cook pointed out this is not without precedence. “We’ve known for some time that when consumers are assured about the background to a product, their behaviour can change – take certain food products with higher standards of animal welfare or organic production for example. Consumers increasingly understand that such produce represents the producer’s commitment to sustainable, ethical processes and, perhaps, the producer’s own care and passion for their product. Consumers will doubtless become increasingly demanding of information and assurance deeper and deeper into the supply chain.”
I would be interested to hear your views.
**Populus interviewed 2,013 GB adults online between 29 June and 1 July 2012 for Attitudes to UK Industry. Results have been weighted to be representative of all GB adults. Populus is a member of the British Polling Council and abides by its rules.
