Companies have been warned that “paying lip service” to the environment is not enough after a survey showed one in five customers had boycotted non-green brands.
According to a YouGov study conducted by marketing agency Hearts & Science, 21 per cent have stopped buying a product because of its environmental impact.
Around 36 per cent ditched a food or drink brand, while 33 per cent now avoid certain “household essentials”.
A third plan to spend more on eco-friendly products this year.
READ MORE: Britain’s grocery delivery levels highest in Europe, YouGov reveals
Shoppers are “voting with their wallets when it comes to eco-friendly groceries”, Hearts & Science chief strategy officer Simon Carr said.
“It’s not just that they’ll choose products and brands that have the best green credentials, they’ll actively stop buying those that don’t.
“Brands need to be smarter in how they demonstrate their concern for the environment and can no longer get away with paying lip service.”
In 2019, then-Bank of England governor Mark Carney said that companies which ignored climate change would “go bankrupt without question”.
The news comes after restaurateur Henry Dimbleby called for people to eat 30 per cent less meat to ensure the UK reaches its net zero target by 2050.
However, he ruled out a meat tax as “politically impossible”.
Click here to sign up to Grocery Gazette’s free daily email newsletter
