Sustainable Shopping Statistics (2024)

Published On: Sep 16, 2024
Edited On: Jan 29, 2025

85% of American shoppers plan to shop in an eco-friendly way in 2024, that includes shopping from businesses that have sustainable packaging, use electric vehicles for delivery and more.

But the interesting thing to see here is that retail executives are skeptical of these green shoppers as they don't follow through on these intentions. Statistics show that 53% of U.S. consumers think sustainable products are too pricey.

So what is the reality of the scene here? Let us take you through it all via data backed insights. Scroll to know more.

Global Eco-friendly Consumer Statistics

  • Only 22% of the global shoppers are environmentally conscious.

40% of households are concerned about the environment and plastic waste but aren't taking many actions to reduce their impact. 38% of households have little or no interest in the environment and are making no effort to reduce waste.

The European region has the most environmentally conscious shoppers round the globe while the middle east has the least.

Global Green Shoppers

  • 49% of Shoppers around the globe say that the COVID-19 pandemic has made sustainability even more important to them.
  • 70% consumers in Europe, North and South America are environmentally aware when it comes to shopping.
  • A survey of 10,281 global consumers revealed that 78% agree that environmental sustainability is important, that they are interested in sustainability and want to live more eco-friendly lives.
  • The increased demand for eco-friendly products and services is expected to add $10.3 trillion to the global economy by the year 2050.

Eco friendly Shopping Contribution to Global GDP

Source: Economic Times, Statista, Accenture.

Eco-friendly Shoppers in The United States

  • 85% of American consumers are planning to shop eco-friendly in 2024.

American Eco friendly Shoppers

  • 60% of US Shoppers considered a product's environmental impact while making a purchase.
  • In 2024, 177 million American adults are eco-friendly shoppers, marking a 7.44% increase compared to the previous year.
  • 80% of US consumers aged 18 to 34 want to buy from eco-friendly brands, similar to 78% who in 1989 said they'd pay 5% more for sustainable packaging. However, retail executives are skeptical because people often don't follow through on these intentions. GfK data shows that 53% of U.S. consumers think sustainable products are too pricey.

Source: Forbes, PDI technologies, GFK, Capital One Shopping.

Eco-friendly Business Statistics

  • By directing green innovation companies can expand their target market to over 80% of people.

Innovating to cater to both prominent (deeply concerned about the environmental consequences) and practical green consumers (people who are somewhat drawn to green options, but aren't necessarily attracted to what's available today) enables businesses to expand their addressable market from less than 30% to over 80% of all consumers. This creates an enormous opportunity to increase sales volumes.

eco friendly business statistics

  • 85% of businesses are gradually making their products and services greener, like using biodegradable packaging or getting green certifications, without changing their main products or business model.
  • Products labeled as sustainable grew over 7x faster than those that weren't, and they outpaced their category’s growth by 90%.
  • 75% of product categories saw sustainable products perform better in online sales compared to in-store sales. This could be due to the online shopper demographics and the greater space available on websites to highlight a product's eco-friendly features compared to store shelves.

Eco friendly Products Sell Better Online

  • Brands generating over half of their sales from eco-friendly products see repeat purchase rates of 32% to 34%. In contrast, brands with less than 50% of their sales from eco-friendly products have repeat purchase rates of under 30%.
  • Green marketing increases customer loyalty by 37%.

Source: Accenture, NYU Stern School of Business, RoundUp Org, Embryo.

Eco-friendly Shopper behavior statistics

  • 84% of customers say they will stop supporting a brand or company if it has poor environmental practices.

84 percent eco friendly shopper behavior stat

  • 50% of global consumers say environmental factors, such as reducing carbon emissions and using recycled materials, often or always influence their trust in a brand. Additionally, 48% say these factors impact their likelihood of recommending the brand to others.
  • 89% of consumers have shifted their shopping behavior toward buying sustainable products, with almost 27% reporting a significant change.
  • 65% of people want to buy from brands that support sustainability, but only 26% actually do.
  • 81% of shoppers prefer eco-friendly marketing and advertising, when compared to more traditional marketing practices.

Source: Harvard Business Review,

Eco-friendly Consumer Spending Statistics

  • 82% of worldwide consumers will pay up to 5% more for sustainable products. 7% are even willing to pay more than 30%.

Willingness to pay more has dropped most in Australia, Canada, Germany, Indonesia, Italy, Nigeria, Peru, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, and the UK. It’s highest in Kenya, Vietnam, and India at 80%, lowest in Japan at 38%, and 51% in the US.

  • Consumers report that the most influential sustainability incentives for their purchasing decisions include production methods that focus on waste reduction and recycling (40%), eco-friendly packaging (38%), and efforts to positively impact nature and water conservation (34%).

Messaging about a company's social responsibility programs (20%) or community engagement efforts (17%) is perceived as less impactful.

  • 75% of global consumers feel that eco-friendly products have become more expensive over the last year.

Source: Roundup Org, PWC.

Eco-friendly Packaging Statistics

  • 57% to 60% of US consumers consider glass, paperboard, and paper to be extremely or very sustainable. These materials are rated slightly higher than compostable and fully recyclable plastic films and bottles, which 53% to 57% of consumers also see as very sustainable.

In comparison, 48% consumers consider metal containers as extremely or very sustainable. Aluminum foil and laminated packaging score the lowest, with only 37% and 32% of consumers rating them as very sustainable, respectively.

  • 60% to 70% of consumers said they would pay more for sustainable packaging.
  • 52% consumers would buy more products with sustainable packaging if they were priced the same as conventionally packaged products.

52 percent consumers

  • 64% of Gen Z shoppers prefer to buy products with eco-friendly packaging. 39% of Gen X, 30% of Boomers, and 54% of millennials would do the same.
  • The global green packaging market is expected to grow from $311.99 billion in 2024 to $462.71 billion by 2032, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.05% during this period.

Source: McKinsey, Fortune Business Insights, Capital One Shopping.

Global Google searches for topics related to sustainable products increased by around 130% between 2017 and 2022. Google released the latest trends in sustainability for 2024. Here are the findings.

  • Global searches for how to save fuel when driving increased +55% from 2022 to 2023.
  • Global searches for ebikes have more than doubled over the past 5 years.
  • Global searches for electric vehicles have more than doubled over the past two years.
  • In the US, searches for energy saving devices reached a 15 year high in 2023.
  • US searches for home energy rebates nearly tripled from 2022 to 2023.
  • Global searches for solar installation have more than doubled over the past five years.
  • Global searches for heat pumps have more than doubled over the past five years, reaching an all time high in 2024.
  • Global searches for thrifting more than doubled over the past 3 years, reaching an all time high in 2023.
  • Global searches for how to reduce food waste have more than doubled over the past 5 years, reaching an all time high in 2023.
  • Global searches for recycling are the highest of any sustainability action as of April 2024.
<div class='toc'><ul><li><a href=#Global-Eco-friendly-Consumer-Statistics><b>Global Eco-friendly Consumer Statistics</b></li><li><a href=#Eco-friendly-Shoppers-in-The-United-States><b>Eco-friendly Shoppers in The United States</b></li><li><a href=#Eco-friendly-Business-Statistics><b>Eco-friendly Business Statistics</b></li><li><a href=#Eco-friendly-Shopper-behavior-statistics><b>Eco-friendly Shopper behavior statistics</b></li><li><a href=#Eco-friendly-Consumer-Spending-Statistics><b>Eco-friendly Consumer Spending Statistics</b></li><li><a href=#Eco-friendly-Packaging-Statistics><b>Eco-friendly Packaging Statistics</b></li><li><a href=#Sustainability-trends-in-2024><b>Sustainability trends in 2024</b></li></ul></div>

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