Sustainability & Supply Chain: Conflicting Reports on Consumers

by Sterling J. Scott, Marketing Communications Coordinator, MHI | @mhi_sterling

A recent report from Nielsen revealed that 55% of global consumers are willing to pay extra for sustainable products and services. However, another report was released by Accenture and Havas Media revealing that only one-third of consumers even consider sustainability in their purchasing decisions regularly and less than one-fourth regularly seek information on brand sustainability performance.. According to these two studies together, most consumers are willing to pay extra for sustainable products, but most do not consider sustainability in their purchasing decisions.

With research providing unclear information on the importance of sustainability, it is hard for executives to decide how to proceed. The same report found that over 80% of executives believe sustainability is important to consumers. Businesses should analyze their current sustainability performance as well as the demands of their customers to determine whether or not investing in sustainability is a priority. To learn more about sustainability and supply chains, download the 2014 MHI Annual Industry Report as well as the U.S. Roadmap for Material Handling & Logistics.

 

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