2025 Sustainability Trends - Consumer Insights Report

139 pages of the Natural Marketing Institute’s research, a study supported, providing current consumer insight with market research data and analysis, including charts, graphs, and illustrations!

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Sustainable Trends - 23 Years of Marketplace Consumer Insights

The 2025 State of Sustainability Trends in America Report, now in its 23rd year, reports on the sustainability marketplace and its consumers based on extensive research of the U.S. general population. It uncovers insights into how today’s consumer integrates sustainability and eco-friendly behaviors into their life and the motivations and barriers they encounter in their pursuit to become increasingly aligned with a more sustainable lifestyle.

While challenges may exist in a world defined by international crises, economic uncertainty, fear of a future global pandemic and an unprecedented inflationary economy, Natural Marketing Institute’s latest findings provide evidence that consumers continue to hold strong sustainable ideals and attitudes. In fact, while some consumers’ priorities and behaviors may have temporarily shifted in order to deal with tighter budgets and more acute concerns, they realize that sustainability is not something that can be pushed aside as it is everyone’s responsibility to take every measure possible to protect the very existence of the planet and its inhabitants.

That said, consumers are taking small but progressive steps toward incorporating more environmental and socially sustainable behaviors into their lifestyle. In fact, some sustainable behaviors which consumers are practicing have both environmental and economic benefits such as lowering the thermostat, conserving water and reusing items. Even further, consumers are making purchasing decisions based on a growing set of values-based qualities from toxin-free to fair trade. Therefore, the need to understand drivers that affect consumer behavior has never been stronger.

The objectives of this research, therefore, are to provide insights into how consumer attitudes and behaviors toward sustainability have changed over the past several years and how these changes may impact the future landscape of the sustainable marketplace and the health of the planet and society. 

A glimpse into the report:

  • How segments within society view sustainability differently and what motivates this differentiation
  • Behaviors consumers are adopting to live more sustainably
  • Consumer interest in learning what sustainable initiatives companies participate in
  • Consumer concern regarding environmental and social issues
  • Sustainable product purchase and interest in environmentally-friendly versions of categories
  • Impact of CSR on consumer loyalty and purchase
  • Growth of natural and organic product use
  • …and much more
trends-and-insights

Table of Contents

U.S. Sustainability Consumer Trends Database Overview
Other Natural Marketing Institute Databases
Introduction

The Natual Marking Institute's Sustainability Segmentation

Sustainability Segmentation Model Methodology
Shades of Green
Segmentation Overview
Segment Composition Size Trended
LOHAS Consumer as Environmental Steward
Living Environmentally-Friendly vs. Difficulty Doing So
Willingness to Pay a Premium
Influencing and Early Adoption Behavior
Willingness to Sacrifice for the Environment
Effect of Inflation across Segments
Segment Position on Health vs. Environment Quadrant
LOHAS Leaders and Followers
LOHAS Leaders and Followers Profile
Leaders and Followers "Green" Purchase vs. Price
Boycotting Behavior among Segments
Trended Segment Composition
The LOHAS Consumer Profile
The NATURALITES Consumer Profile
The DRIFTERS Consumer Profile
The CONVENTIONALS Consumer Profile
The UNCONCERNEDS Consumer Profile
Demographic Summary Across Segments

sustainablity-segmentation

Perceptions of Planetary Health

Perceptions of Planet's Tipping Point
Perceptions of Planet's Tipping Point across Consumer Groups
Optimism about Humanity's Ability to Improve Environment
Climate Change: Manmade or Natural
Trended Concern about Environmental Issues
Level of Concern about Specific Environmental Issues
Concern about Climate Change
Opinion of Solar Geoengineering
Concern about Overpopulation
Concern about Microplastics
Concern about Diminishing Biodiversity
Concern about Toxins and Human Health Link
Level of Concern about Specific Societal Issues
Concern about Food Waste
Concern about National and Global Hunger
Concern about Political Issues
Concern about How World Will End

preceptions-of-planetary-health

Personal Sustainability Action

The Continuum of Personal Sustainable Action
Living Environmentally on a Daily Basis: A 10-point scale
More or Less: Living Environmentally Compared to 2 to 3 Years Ago
Concern about Environmental and Social Factors
Participation in Sustainable Behaviors
Participation in Sustainable Behaviors by Age Group
Impact of Economy on Sustainable Behaviors
Impact of Economy on Sustainable Behaviors by Demographic Groups
Participation in Sustainable Behaviors with Economic Benefits
Participation in "Small Step" Sustainable Behaviors
Recycling Behavior
Recycling Skepticism
Materials Recycled All/Most of the Time
Difficulty Living Environmentally-Friendly
Willingness to Make Personal Sacrifices for the Environment

personal-sustainable-action

Drivers of Sustainable Choice

Impact of Environmental and Social Responsibility on Decision Making
Preference to Purchase from Socially Responsible Companies
Impact of Fair Trade on Purchase
Impact of Real-Life Stories of Fair-Trade Workers
Understanding of Toxins and Disease Link
Chemical Monitoring in Food and Beverages
Linkage of Planet and Personal Health
Use of Organic Foods to Manage Health Issues
Organic Skepticism
Concern about Greenwashing
Impact of an Environmental Certification
Impact of Specific Certifications on Purchase
Level of Trust in Specific Certifications
Interest in a Universal Sustainability Certification
Desire for Reduction in Plastic Production
Influencers of Sustainable Purchase

drivers-of-sustainable-choice

Sustainable Product Purchase

Level of "Green" Purchase vs. Price
Concern about Chemicals in Consumer Products
Chemical Monitoring of Specific Product Categories
Growth in Chemical Monitoring of Specific Product Categories
Life Cycle Stage which Environmental Impact Should Be Reduced
Interest in Purchasing Organic or E-Friendly Personal Care
Type of Personal Care Product Purchased: Conventional, Natural, Organic
Chemical Monitoring of Personal Care Products
Importance Ratings of Personal Care Attributes and Growth
Interest in Purchasing Organic E-Friendly Personal Care
Type of Household Product Purchased: Conventional, Natural, Organic
Chemical Monitoring of Household Products
Importance Ratings of Household Product Attributes and Growth
Barriers and Reasons for E-Friendly Household Product Purchase
Interest in Purchasing Organic or E-Friendly Miscellaneous Products
Sustainably-Aligned Food/Beverage Product Purchase
Likelihood to Purchase Plant-Based Foods
Purchase of Organic Meat and Dairy
Purchase of Organic and Non-Organic Milk
Growth in Importance of Food/Beverage Attributes
Interest in Purchasing an Electric or Hybrid Vehicle
Barriers to Purchase of an Electric or Hybrid Vehicle
Willingness to Pay a Premium for Environmentally-Friendly Products

sustainable-product-purchase

Impact of Corporate Initiatives

Importance of Corporate Responsibility
Perceptions of Who Should Be Doing More to Protect Environment
Interest in Learning What Companies Do to Protect the Environment
Interest in Learning about a Company's Social and Environmental Initiatives
Interest in Learning about a Company's Involvement in Environmental Issues
Interest in Learning about a Company's Involvement in Social Issues
Higher Value Perceptions of Sustainable Products
Actions Taken to Determine a Company's Sustainable Practices
Impact of a Company's "Mindfulness" of the Environment and Society
Boycotting Behavior among Age Groups

impact-of-corporate-initiatives

Sustainable Shopping

Trended Shopping across Five Major Channels
Channel Shopping among Sustainability Segments
Dollar and Thrift Store Shopping
Purchase of Store Brand Foods and Beverages
Desire for Retailers' Involvement in Sustainable Issues
Likelihood to Shop Retailers Based on Sustainable Initiatives
Likelihood to Shop Retailers Based on Sustainable Initiatives among Grocery Shoppers
Likelihood to Shop Retailers Based on Sustainable Initiatives among Convenience Shoppers
Desire for Refillable Options at Retailers
Use of Mobile Devices when Shopping
Interest in AI Shopping Recommendations
Demographic Shifts in Primary Grocery Shopping

sustainable-shopping

Segmentation Consumer Model - Sustainability Methodology

Development of the Institute’s unique and proprietary segmentation model began with evaluating over 170 different attitudinal and behavioral variables, later narrowed to approximately 21. A k-means clustering method was used. Cluster centers were defined as dense regions in the multivariate space based on a k-means segmentation of the attitudinal variables from the Institute’s Sustainability Consumer Trends Database survey.


This segmentation can be used to identify and predict segment membership as part of a quantitative extrapolative analysis of future consumer behavior.


5 Unique Segments: each segment is mutually exclusive and is designed to have the maximum differentiation between consumer groups and the maximum homogeneity within each consumer group. The predictive accuracy is high at 86%.


The segmentation has been overlaid on third-party data sets such as Nielsen’s Homescan and can be used through the Institute in custom/primary qualitative or quantitative research.

sustainablity-methdology

U.S. Sustainability Consumer Insights Database® (SCTD) Overview

Scope:

  • Quantifies the size of the consumer market for environmentally and socially responsible products and services
  • Measures the importance of environmental and societal issues as well as corporate social responsibility
  • Explores environmentally conscious behavior
  • Determines consumer usage of sustainable products and services and quantifies purchase criteria
  • Annual tracking study in U.S. since 2002 and globally since 2005

Report Methodology:

  • 4,420 U.S. adults, nationally projectable to the U.S. adult population and accurate at the 95% confidence level to +/- 1.5%
  • August 22, 2024 – September 10,2024
  • Conducted online

Natural Marketing Institute Database:

  • U.S. Trending since 2002 and Globally since 2005

  • Conducted in 15+ countries; 150,000+ global consumers interviewed

SCTD-overview
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