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Development of environmental claims
over time: their range, quantity and
quality
Bjarne Pedersen
Director of Operations
Consumers International
OECD 15th of April 2010
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About Consumers International
• Global federation of consumer
organisations
• 220 member organisations in 115
countries
• Independent and not-for-profit
• Global research and campaigns
through and for our members
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Consumers….. Consuming in the 21st century can be a
complicated affair. Sustainability,
responsibility, ethics, choice and `spending
for the economy` are all buzz words that
consumers are bombarded with on a daily
basis. Some commentators claim that
consumers are not doing enough, some
claim consumers cannot do what they want to do (be ethical and responsible).
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Moving towards sustainable consumption
• Consumer awareness and understanding of the
impact of their choices needs to be raised
• Changes in consumption choices need to follow
• Behavioural changes need to be maintained
• Consumer power must be recognised and
mobilised in order to progress towards sustainable
consumption and production
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Try to Purchase Goods/Services from Responsible Companies Whenever
Possible, “Agree” vs “Disagree,” by Country
Consumers across all markets express strong intention to purchase from responsible companies
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How easy is it for consumers to make sustainable
consumption choices?
Consumers need
• Information about companies credentials on sustainability
• Clear information about products at point of sale
• Assurance that what they are buying is a better choice than
the (often cheaper) alternative
• Encouragement and incentives
• Access to sustainable products
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The Ethical Trade Fact Finding Process
The ETFP is led by a Steering Group consisting
of Consumers International, the French
National Standards Body AFNOR, the
Brazilian National Standards Body ABNT, the
ISEAL Alliance and the Fair Trade
organisations FLO and WFTO (Fair Trade
Advocacy Office), with the Secretary of ISO
COPOLCO as an observer.
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ETFP Purpose
• Establish a multi-stakeholder driven fact-finding
process to clarify the nature and extent of
inaccurate or false „ethical‟ claims, and the
problems such claims present for consumers
wishing to make „ethical‟ purchasing decisions.
• Develop potential solutions to address the
problems identified.
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Some findings from the ETFP (phase 1):
There is little evidence that consumer confidence in claims has
been decreasing or increasing over time.
Even though the number of claims has been increasing, ethical trade
still only accounts for a small proportion of trade in general.
There is evidence that a significant number of consumers are
confused about at least some ethical claims, and are seeking clarity
to help them make decisions. However, the study could not conclude
how much of the confusion stems from „unreliable‟ claims.
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Some findings from the ETFP (phase 1):
• Consumer decision making is holistic rather than
reductionist in relation to confidence in claims
• Consumer confidence in a particular claim
depends strongly on familiarity with that particular
claim
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Some findings from the ETFP (phase 1):
– There is little research/evidence on the impact that (un)reliable
claims have on the uptake of ethical products.
– Scarcity of data means it is difficult to come to specific
quantitative conclusions on the number of claims
– Little evidence about claims becoming worse/better over time but
some evidence that increased number of complaints
– The majority of research on the impact of ethical claims focuses
on "premium" 3rd party claims, which are small fraction of ethical
claims. We know little about the positive/negative impact of self-
declared claims, which in reality represent the majority of claims
made.
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• Overall, consumer confidence in ethical claims
appears to be mixed. Consumers seem to be
neither generally cynical nor naively trusting.
The majority of consumers can perhaps be
characterised as skeptical or discriminating
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Some conclusions, a framework for evaluation:
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Some conclusions
– Providing reliable, consistent, and more accessible
information about ethical claims – should there be an
universal way of distinguishing between 3rd party verified and
self declared claims at point of sale? Additional web
information available?
– Two factors, in particular, are problematic: the question of
selectivity, and the question of performance levels. Until
there is agreement about best practice in relation to these
key issues it is hard to see how consistent advice can be
passed on to consumers
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Some conclusions
– The need for an (internationally applicable)
minimum requirements document for reliable
claims?
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For more information:
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We do not know enough about/if claims:
• creates „green noise‟ that confuses consumers and
prevents them from making ethical decisions they would
otherwise make; or,
• misleads consumers into believing they are taking positive
ethical actions when in fact they are not; or,
• is readily identified by consumers as being spurious, and is
thus readily ignored; or,
• raises awareness and „buy-in‟ to „ethical‟ values, which
builds support for future actions and sense of commitment
that makes it easier for more substantive action to be
taken.