Misleading claims plague shoppers

WELLINGTON: Consumers are struggling to distinguish fact from fiction when it comes to sustainable claims about products and brands, a new survey shows.

EY’s latest Future Consumer Index indicated one in four New Zealanders surveyed were willing to pay more for products if they believed they were produced in a sustainable way.

‘‘Despite the cost of living pressures that we know are still impacting Kiwis in their everyday shopping, they are still actually willing to pay a little bit more for products if they believe they’re produced in a sustainable way,’’ EY New Zealand customer and growth lead Michael SummersGervai said.

More than half of of the 500 New Zealand respondents (51%) were planning to pay more attention to the environmental impact of what they consumed, and they expected businesses to be delivering on claims (61%).

However, 55% of those surveyed said misleading information was preventing them from shopping sustainably.

Mr SummersGervai said those who shopped sustainably (38%) monitored the brands they bought, with a third of them doublechecking and validating sustainability claims made on packaging or in advertising, as part of their shopping habits.

‘‘Brands really need to think about what their sustainability strategies are now and it’s across [the] supply chain — how much energy they use, how they produce their products — to help secure longterm customer loyalty,’’ he said. ‘‘If organisations don’t think about it, they might well get left behind.’’

There was a responsibility on businesses to provide sustainable choices in products and services, he said.

‘‘I think brands really need to be focused on authenticity and recognise sustainability is not a shortterm strategy. It’s not something you rush into, and it’s definitely something for the long term.’’