Two in three (69%) people in Northern Ireland prefer to buy products that have a more positive environmental and social impact, although 55% say there are many confusing sustainability statements on product labels, according to an Amazon-commissioned survey of 2,000 shoppers.
In fact, shoppers surveyed in Northern Ireland find building flat-pack furniture (39%), cooking an elaborate dinner party from scratch (35%), and completing a giant crossword puzzle (30%), easier than figuring out which everyday products have a lower environmental impact when shopping online.
As a result, only 18% of respondents in Northern Ireland say they always understand a product’s environmental impact when they shop. More than half (68%) want retailers to help them easily identify products which have a more positive environmental and social impact. This ranges from everyday items like socks and sugar, to personal care products like soap and sunscreen.
Amazon makes it easier for customers to discover and shop for products with improvements in at least one aspect of sustainability. Its Climate Pledge Friendly badge helps shoppers to discover and filter products based on clear sustainability features – from products containing recycled materials and designed with less packaging, to items made from organic content and safer chemicals. These features are based on vetted and reputable third-party certifications, such as Rainforest Alliance, Fairtrade International and Forest Stewardship Council.
Certifications matter to Northern Irish shoppers, with more than eight out of ten (88%) saying they are more likely to trust a product’s sustainability claims if it is supported by an official certification from a reputable organisation, according to the survey. 62% also claim to have abandoned a purchase when they did not trust or understand its sustainability claims.
More than one in three (40%) surveyed claim they are more likely to try a new brand or product if their social, ethical and environmental credentials are clear on the product itself, or at the point of sale online, giving them reassurance these brands align with their principles.
“Products with certified sustainability features are a top choice for UK shoppers, and it’s important that customers can easily understand exactly what those features are. At Amazon, we’re taking the guesswork out of the shopping experience, helping customers to shop for items that match their values,” said John Boumphrey, Amazon UK Country Manager.
Among the most sought-after sustainability features that shoppers surveyed in Northern Ireland look for are kindness to animals (32%), recyclable packaging (31%), made with chemicals safe for human health and the environment (26%), and items made with a reduced carbon footprint (24%), made with recycled materials (21%), while 22% seek items that have reduced packaging.
The top five product categories that shoppers expect to find more sustainable options for include cleaning products (43%), cosmetics and beauty (38%), food and beverage items (35%), apparel (32%) and electronics/appliances (27%).
Nearly 37.6 million Amazon customers have switched to Climate Pledge Friendly badged products in 2023, leading to over 1.16 billion items sold, a 42% increase from 2022 – sending a strong signal to Amazon’s selling partners that customers want to shop for products with sustainability features. As of today, Amazon’s Climate Pledge Friendly product selection has grown to more than 1.4 million items globally – a 157% increase from 2022.
“Amazon’s Climate Pledge Friendly certifications help us to communicate our brand commitment to more-sustainable processes and products. The qualification process is reassuringly thorough which means when customers see the Climate Pledge Friendly badge, they can be confident they are purchasing a product that goes some way to help preserve the natural world we live in,” said Tom Lloyd, Co-Founder and Commercial Director at Bloomsbury Mill, an award-winning children’s and baby brand in the UK, with several popular Climate Pledge Friendly products on the Amazon UK store.
Amazon’s UK Climate Pledge Friendly programme features more than 50 independent sustainability certifications. Products which have one or more of these certifications can be found by clicking on Climate Pledge Friendly on Amazon.co.uk. Each Climate Pledge Friendly-badged product comes with clear and detailed descriptions of their sustainability features and underlying certifications, helping consumers make more informed choices when shopping online.