‘Most sustainable shoppers’ in Europe named in study | ESM Magazine | Popgen Tech

Finnish shoppers have been named the most sustainable in Europe, a study by Savoo has found, with a 20% decrease in their consumption footprint between 2010 and 2020.

The study, which ranked shoppers in 30 different countries in areas such as recycling rate, consumption footprint and waste per capita, noted that Finland also tops the Sustainable Development Report’s ranking of all 193 UN member states, with 86.51 out of a possible 100 .

“From second-hand shopping to avoiding plastic packaging whenever possible, shoppers are increasingly adopting more eco-friendly habits,” said Savoo.

Best Of The Rest

In second place, according to Savoo, was Denmark, with Danish consumers reducing their consumption footprint by 14.26% between 2010 and 2020.

Slovenia is third, with the country producing an estimated 34 kg of household waste per capita each year, the lowest figure of any country in the analysis.

The rest of the top ten consists of Austria (4th), Sweden (5th), the UK (6th), the Netherlands (7th), Belgium (8th), Spain (9th) and Germany (10th).

Consumer awareness

“The importance of being sustainable is increasing as shoppers have become more aware of their ecological footprint,” said Ed Fleming, managing director, Savoo.

“From food waste to buying second-hand clothes, consumers are not only more aware of protecting the environment they live in, but are also looking at ways to save money with sustainable practices in light of the cost of living crisis.”

Fleming added that sustainability continues to “transform the way we shop”, with consumers becoming more vocal about what they expect from brands when it comes to ESG.

Europe’s most sustainable shoppers

1. Finland
2. Denmark
3. Slovenia
4. Austria
5. Sweden
6. The UK
7. The Netherlands
8. Belgium
9. Spain
10. Germany

The full research can be found here.

© 2022 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Stephen Wynne-Jones. Click sign in to report ESM: European Supermarket Magazine.