Ethical produce is becoming markedly more popular in the UK

Environmentally-friendly and socially-responsible products are becoming more popular in the UK, a new Nielsen study suggests.  

One in four UK shoppers said they would be happy to spend more on Fairtrade items, environmentally-friendly cleaning products and organic foods.

That number has trebled since spring 2011, when just 8% of those surveyed said they would be happy to spend more on such products.

Mike Watkins, senior manager of retail services at Nielsen, said: “Improved marketing contributes to better awareness and education about such products and helps compensate for any perceived quality trade-off between eco-friendly and standard versions.”

Watkins also attributed the rise in popularity of eco-friendly products to greater availability.

Of course, saying you would spend more on ethical produce in a survey doesn’t necessarily equate to doing so when you’re in the supermarket.

And according to the Nielsen research, us Brits are behind the world average on making more environmentally-conscious consumer decisions. Only 43% of Brits surveyed said they were changing their behaviour to reduce their carbon footprint and save energy, compared with a global average of six in 10, 55% in France and 52% in Germany.

But the marked change in sentiment is a step in the right direction, at least.

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