MANCHESTER, England, April 23 /PRNewswire/ -- New research by The Co-operative Bank think card has revealed the
majority of Brits (61%) now consider ethical issues when shopping.
The research highlights that the vast majority of people who are looking
to shop ethically will do so at their weekly shop to the local supermarket
(53%). However more than one in ten people now take ethical factors into
consideration when taking a trip down the high street (14%), shopping online
(17%), or thinking about a major purchase such as a car or holiday (14%).
With the local supermarket the most popular outlet for ethical shoppers,
it follows that the findings reveal the category where shoppers are most
influenced by ethics is food and drink (60%). However more than a fifth of
consumers also weigh up ethical factors when purchasing cosmetics (25%),
clothing (21 %) and home cleaning products (17%).
ITEM % of people who buy ethically
Coffee 35%
Eggs 34%
Tea 31%
Recycled paper 30%
Meat 30%
Make-up 24%
Chocolate 23%
Lightbulbs 21%
Women's Clothing 20%
Fish 20%
Furthermore, when looking at specific items in more detail, the findings
show that coffee (35%), eggs (34%) and tea (31%) are the most likely
products which trigger ethical purchasing decisions.
With the recent Government calls for a reduction in plastic bag
consumption, the findings also highlight the ethical topic of most concern
for people is the use of plastic bags (52%). This is followed by fair-trade
issues (42%) and animal testing (37%)
The top ethical concerns for shoppers
1. Use of plastic bags
2. Fairtrade issues
3. Animal testing for cosmetics
4. Climate change
5. Energy ratings of household appliances
The study also reveals the main motivation for people to make ethical
choices is to ensure the world is a better place for future generations
(38%), although one in ten people admit that shopping ethically makes them
feel good about themselves (10%).
Conversely the main reason for not shopping ethically is that people feel
it is too expensive (48%) or they feel that there is a general lack of
information about which products are ethical (24%).
Maxine Xodo, Product Manager for The Co-operative Bank think credit card
comments: " The research clearly shows that ethical issues are now much more
front of mind for consumers when they are shopping. With a much wider
selection of ethical options than ever before, customers now have the option
to make choices, which can really make a difference."
The Co-operative Bank provides an ethical credit card - think, which
rewards customers who shop ethically by providing them with a lower rate of
interest for purchases made with carefully selected ethical partners such as
Ikea and Lush and also helps protect areas of endangered rainforest. The
think credit card now has a lower rate of 12.9% APR to enable even more
customers to take advantage of an ethical credit card with a competitive
rate.
Notes to editors:
Regional statistics available on request.
ISDN facilities are available for broadcast media interviews.
Research carried out on behalf of The Co-operative Bank by onepoll.com -
amongst a representative sample of 2000 adults in March 2008.
28 million calculated as follows;
61% of UK adult population (46,300,400 ) = 28.2 million
For further information contact:
Catherine Turner
The Co-operative Financial Services Press Office
Tel: +44(0)161-827-5626
Fax: +44(0)161-832-2751
e-mail : catherine.turner@co-operative.coop
The Co-operative Bank
