Globally, 8 in 10 consumers consider
governments as being responsible for environmental protection, while almost the
same proportion consider citizens responsible. And, in the last 20 years, concern
about pollution has risen from a fifth to half of consumers.
This is a key finding of the latest
Ericsson ConsumerLab report , which reveals fresh insights on consumer
attitudes toward sustainability challenges – and how technology could help them
to make a greater positive impact.
From governments and businesses, to
millions of school children going on strike as part of Fridays for Future, the
question of how to lead more sustainable lives has become more prevalent across
society. But where do everyday consumers stand in this? Do their habits and
actions reflect their perceptions? And do they consider ICT as a tool for
helping them address their potential impact?
Ericsson’s latest ConsumerLab report: ‘Consumers, sustainability and ICT’ looks deeper into these topics.
Based on a quantitative study of
12,000 internet users from across the world, the report uncovers the current
consumer mindset of leading environmentally sustainable lifestyles.
For example, in the last two decades
alone, concern about air and water pollution has risen from concerning one in
five consumers, to almost one in two. While consideration for climate change
and global warming has also risen from 13 percent of consumers to 50 percent.
The study also includes consumers’
thoughts on where ultimate responsibility lies in mitigating environmental
impact. Globally, 8 in 10 consumers consider governments as being responsible
for environmental protection, with approximately 70 percent also considering
citizens responsible. It’s clear that consumers also see the need for
collective action, with 5 in 10 expecting companies and brands to uphold their
share of the responsibility.
Consumers also see technological
innovation as critical to tackling future environmental challenges, a statement
backed up by 46 percent of those surveyed. Further, 36 percent would like their
devices to offer guidance on living more environmentally consciously.
Interestingly, consumers who think
technology will be crucial in solving future environmental challenges express
almost twice the interest in various ICT solutions to help them live more
environmentally consciously, compared to others.
“ICT tools and services can play a
significant part in assisting consumer’s daily efforts to reduce their personal
environmental impact,” says Zeynep Ahmet Vidal, Senior Researcher at Ericsson
Consumer & IndustryLab and author of the report.
“We see in our study that consumers
do perceive ICT as helpful as an aid in their daily life, be it for
environmental, health, cost or convenience-related reasons. But ICT also has
the potential to enable future innovation in climate action, and here the
service providers have a unique opportunity and position to provide novel
solutions that can aid consumers in making more sustainable choices in daily
life.”
The countries involved in the study
include the US, Brazil, the UK, Germany, Spain, Russia, South Africa, the
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, India, Malaysia, China and Australia. The sample
consists of 1,000 respondents from each country.
