Who Cares About Sustainability in the Creative Sector? Deloitte Reports

Sustainability and ethics have become regular buzzwords within the global fashion and lifestyle manufacture space, gaining prominence several years ago because of horrific events in apparel factories that were a direct result of unethical practice to satisfy the demands of retailers in the 'fast fashion' industry. More recently, calls for increased sustainability have been driven up in volume by pressue to reduce the impact of climate change. 

Over the years, we’ve seen initiatives of all forms -sincere and otherwise- by players in the sector to show that they’re engaging in more ethical sourcing including fair wage practice, use of organic fabrics, responsible product packaging, energy efficiency, alternative fuels and optimisation of logistics. 

Does the Consumer Really Care?

We have to ask, while more companies are practising ethical sourcing, does the end customer really care? If so, how are they living their values when shopping? This is an important question for Meekono because of the role we play to identify and highlight emerging trends for our community of artisans, producers, value-adders and wholesalers so they may in turn intensify existing good practice or adopt and innovate new ways of working to not only address the demands of the consumers but also to contribute to a better world.

At the start of 2022, retailers were cautiously optimistic about their ability to move past Covid-19 and all of its challenges. There was a sense that technology, innovation and new business models would allow the industry to capitalise on emerging consumer behaviour and take a big step forward to shape the future shopping experience.

Out of the Covid Crisis into the Ukraine War Crisis 

However, market conditions have been made more challenging driven by the fuel crisis, scarcity of raw materials, rapid inflation, which is putting a dent on the ability of the consumer to spend, and the war in Ukraine impacting supply chains.

Despite the challenges, product and business model innovation continues. Also, there is a revival of traditional ways of doing things: customers are preferring to shop from familiar local retailers, buying quality over quantity and less often, repurposing, reusing and recycling.

Deloitte's Latest Survey of 2,000 Consumers

The third study of its kind by Deloitte of more than 2,000 UK adults aged 18+ shows that consumers are increasingly making conscious decisions with sustainability and the environment in mind. We dove into the results of the survey to find the elements that should be taken into account by players in the African creative manufacturing space, and those who retail their products.

Deloitte found that more consumers are being more proactive in their pursuit of adopting a more sustainable lifestyle, whether by choosing brands that have ethical or environmentally sustainable practices and values, or by no longer purchasing certain products because they have concerns around the brand's ethical or sustainability practices or values. 

Encouraging Consumers Trends

Consumers have also become more socially conscious when purchasing clothing and footwear, choosing brands based on their sustainability and ethical practices

Increasing consumer interest in sustainability is also being reflected in purchases of beauty products, with consumers more likely to choose brands that have environmentally sustainable and more ethical practices and values.

What do Consumers Consider a Sustainable Product?

When asked what makes a product sustainable, the majority of consumers indicated that it was biodegradable or made from recycled materials, followed by being responsibly sourced, had minimal packaging, was carbon-neutral and, supported biodiversity. However, when considering a purchase, consumers are more likely to value durability and repairability over recyclability or biodegradability.

Consumers are paying attention to ethical working practices and human rights issues when they shop for clothes and footwear. And looking across all categories, consumers value conserving biodiversity, water and other natural resources, as well as adopting circular practices, including the reuse, recycling, refurbishment or repair of goods.

What are the Main Barriers to Consumers Adopting a More Sustainable Lifestyle?

The primary reasons for not adopting a more sustainable lifestyle are related to cost, lack of interest in the issue of sustainability and not having enough information.

 What do Consumers Need to Adopt a More Sustainable Lifestyle?

Given that the primary barrier to becoming more sustainable relates to cost, it’s not surprising that making it more affordable to choose sustainable alternatives leads every other consideration, with nearly one in two citing it as the main area to address. Next, consumers would welcome better schemes to remove plastic and packaging and more clarity on disposal and recycling.

While consumers are looking to businesses like ours to make products more sustainable, the majority would also be willing to take more responsibility if they had the right information. Consumers want greater clarity on how to dispose or recycle an item, how sustainable products or services are, and better signposting of ways to renew or repair a damaged item. 

It's up to us to work in partnership with our retail buyers - those who have direct contact with consumers - to create and develop sustainable products that stay true to their design heritage, and to be transparent about the creation process. Fortunately, African design culture is very firmly rooted in respect of the environment and use of materials that are available in abundance.