Sustainability 2021: Environment and Society in Focus
Consumers are moving toward increasing sophistication in the links they see between a range of related issues. As we emerge from a year defined by a global pandemic and growing concerns around social justice, political turmoil, and climate change, previously abstract environmental and social well-being concerns are becoming increasingly more tangible.
“Sustainability 2021: Environment and Society in Focus”, part of Hartman Group’s foundational Sustainability syndicated study series, updates long-standing data sets and provides new insights on what sustainability means to consumers today, how they incorporate it into their everyday lives and prioritize it in their purchasing, how they think about specific sustainability topics (e.g., plastics and packaging, agricultural methods or social justice), and who should address these important societal challenges and how to address them.
Published September 2021 | Report length: 118 pages | U.S. market coverage
- Executive summary
- General report (PowerPoint and PDF)
- Demographic data tables (Excel)
- Primary Quantitative Research: A nationally representative online survey of n=2,202 U.S. adults (aged 18–75), conducted July 16-29, 2021.
Results weighted to age, gender, division, income, race/ethnicity and presence of children to match the 2021 Census Bureau Current Population Survey.
- Primary Qualitative Research: 5-day asynchronous task assignment via specialized mobile app. All tasks were completed remotely due to COVID-19, and no participants were asked to visit a store or public area for safety reasons.
Consumers participated in 1-hour virtual interviews to contextualize assignment uploads and dig deeper into key topic areas.
- Methodology
- Executive Summary
- Chapter 1. Sustainability in a Shifting Context
- Chapter 2. The World of Sustainability
- Chapter 3. Sustainability in Purchasing
- Chapter 4. Sustainability in Grocery Retail, CPG & Food Service
- Chapter 5. Key Issues in Sustainability
- Chapter 6. The Role of Companies in Sustainability
- Implications and Recommendations
- Hartman Group’s World of Sustainability segmentation based on level of engagement with sustainability, including both environmental and social components
- Importance of sustainability considerations in consumer purchase decisions and reasons for buying sustainable product
- Sustainability priorities at Grocery Retail, CPG & Food Service
- Key Issues in Sustainability—Packaging and recycling; plastic and single-use plastics; pollution and resources; food waste; agriculture; food insecurity; labor practices; and social and racial justice.
