A new global study commissioned by FSC with Ipsos is one of the largest of its kind, surveying 26,800 consumers in 33 countries. It provides new insights into what consumers are concerned about, who they trust to address these concerns, and how they’re acting individually through their purchases to affect change.
Ongoing global economic instability and conflict appear to have shifted consumer priorities. While climate change ranked second after health during the pandemic, top concerns for consumers are now economic hardships, and wars, conflicts and terrorism. Yet issues relating to the environment haven’t fallen off the radar. Climate change, biodiversity loss, and deforestation remain key forestry issues of concern around the world.
When asked about forests in particular, the connection to biodiversity is strong – often stronger than climate. Biodiversity loss is a top forest concern for consumers in most of the countries sampled in Europe and the Americas. Europeans regard climate change as nearly equally concerning, while the top concern for the Germans is the loss of tropical rainforests and wildfires for the Spaniards.
Some countries experience local forestry issues; concerns about these are reflected in the results. For example, illegal logging in Romania or deforestation in Brazil. This reflects the fact that the impacts of climate change are increasingly being felt directly in the ground like flooding in Indonesia or wildfires in Spain and the USA.
One of the ways in which consumers are addressing their forest concerns is through their purchasing decisions. Nearly three quarters (71%) claim they would rather choose products that do not damage plants and animals while nearly two thirds (63%) try to buy products packaged with renewable materials. Almost as many (59%) prefer to choose products that do not contribute to the climate crisis.
When it comes to protecting forests, consumers currently put the highest trust in independent and credible certification systems and environmental NGOs. Most consumers have high or moderate confidence in certification labels to ensure that forests are protected. But they feel strongly that sustainability certifications must also be verified. Almost two thirds of consumers (64%) expect sustainability information to be certified by an independent organization. China (86%) and Kenya (78%) have the highest demand from consumers globally for independent certification of forest-based products.
more at: https://fsc.org/en/fsc-global-consumer-recognition-study