Some 77 per cent of Europeans would pay more for environmentally friendly products if they were confident of manufacturers’ green claims, according to a new survey published by the European Commission. The study found 55 per cent of almost 26,000 respondents ‘feel informed’ about products’ environmental effects and 52 per cent ‘generally trust’ producers’ environmental performance claims.

5 July 2013 – According to a new survey, most Europeans would be prepared to change their purchasing habits and buy more environmentally-friendly products, but many feel they lack information and distrust manufacturers’ environmental claims. The survey on the ‘Attitudes of Europeans towards building the single market for green products’ indicates that more than three-quarters of respondents are willing to pay more for environmentally friendly products if they were confident that the products are truly environmentally friendly (77 per cent). However, only slightly more than half of EU citizens feel informed (55 per cent) about the environmental impacts of the products they buy and use.

Environment Commissioner Janez Potočnik said: “Of course we all want to see more green products on shelves, but this survey shows that most of us are confused by green claims and don’t trust them. That’s not good for consumers, and it is not rewarding those companies that are really making an effort. We are working with companies and other stakeholders to develop the credible information consumers are looking for when they buy products. This will help develop markets and open up opportunities for innovation and investment in the green economy.”

A large majority of EU citizens believes that buying environmentally friendly products can make a difference to the environment (89 per cent) and that they are as effective as regular products (74 per cent). Confidence that products labelled environmentally friendly are less harmful to the environment is highest in Portugal (84 per cent), Malta (82 per cent), France (81 per cent) and Belgium (81 per cent). However, confidence is significantly lower in Germany (44 per cent), Romania (46 per cent) and the Netherlands (47 per cent).

Just over half of EU citizens generally trust producers’ claims about the environmental performance of their products (52 per cent), but a majority of Europeans do not trust companies’ reports on their own environmental performance (54 per cent). EU citizens are most likely to believe that they have come across exaggerated or misleading statements in Romania (40 per cent), Bulgaria (40 per cent), Greece (39 per cent) and Latvia (37 per cent). This belief is least common in Malta (17 per cent) and Estonia (20 per cent). There is nonetheless strong support for obliging companies to publish reports on their overall environmental performance and the environmental performance of their products (69 per cent).

Across the EU, two thirds of people (66 per cent) would be willing to pay more for a product if its guarantee of reliability was extended to five years. More than nine out of ten respondents also think the expected lifespan of products should be indicated (92 per cent). Almost half of all respondents had decided not to have a faulty product repaired in the past 12 months because the repair costs were too high (47 per cent).

A considerable proportion of respondents believe that it is not safe to consume food products after its ‘best before’ date (45 per cent). This means that large amounts of edible food are wasted or thrown away every day. More than three quarters of citizens in Sweden (81 per cent), Austria (77 per cent) and the United Kingdom (77 per cent) believe that it is safe to consume food products after the ‘best before’ date stated on the label. This view is shared by fewer than one in five citizens in Romania (14 per cent) and Lithuania (17 per cent).

Background

Companies wanting to highlight the environmental performance of their products face numerous obstacles. They are confronted with several different methods promoted by governments and private initiatives, and they are therefore obliged to pay multiple costs for providing environmental information. Consumers are confused by a multitude of different labels with information that makes products difficult to compare.

The Communication on Building the Single Market for Green Products and a Recommendation on the use of EU-harmonised methods, adopted by the Commission in April 2013 (see IP/13/310), launched a pilot scheme in which stakeholders will help develop better ways of measuring environmental impact of products. This should help develop comparable and reliable environmental information, building confidence for consumers, businesses, investors and other stakeholders. Better understanding consumer behaviour and attitudes is a key component to properly implement this new policy initiative.

The survey was carried out in the 28 Member States of the European Union. Over 25,568 respondents from different social and demographic groups were interviewed via telephone in their mother tongue on behalf of the European Commission.

For further information, please visit www.ec.europa.eu/environment/eussd/escp_en.htm or download the report.