Going green pays off for UK food & drink industry

London, 16 August: UK consumers will choose products with a lower carbon footprint and are willing to pay higher prices for them, according to a report published on Tuesday by strategic management consultants L.E.K. Consulting.

More than half of the consumers surveyed wanted more information on the carbon footprints of products and services available to them and would change their buying behaviour accordingly, finds the L.E.K. Carbon Footprint Report 2007, which is based on a survey of more than 2,000 UK consumers.

The survey found that 44% of consumers would switch to a product or service with a lower carbon footprint, 43% of consumers would be willing to pay more for a lower carbon product or service and 20% would travel to a less convenient retailer to obtain such products.

The food and drink industry is seen by consumers as the sector making the greatest efforts to 'go green', achieving a score of 2.69 out of 5 in a poll asking consumers to rate industries for their efforts.

"Some good examples of carbon reduction strategies can be found in this sector," said Jeremy Wheatland, London-based partner at L.E.K Consulting. "However, there is still much work to be done."

The travel and transport industry was perceived to be the worst performing, with an average score of just 2.25, while energy suppliers scored 2.58.

Most respondents believed that the responsibility for reducing carbon footprints sits with manufacturers and producers, ahead of the government and consumers themselves.

However, nearly 60% of consumers say that retailers' and manufacturers' claims to be green are 'not very' (46%) or 'not at all' (11%) credible.

"Those that address [carbon management] sooner rather than later, and can communicate credible evidence regarding their green initiatives, will be able to take advantage of this change in customer perception," said Wheatland.