Webinar on consumers’ perceptions regarding environmental claims

Businesses are encouraged to innovate and embrace sustainability practices only when consumers value its importance and are well-informed about the attributes of products.

The pursuit of sustainability is usually undermined by greenwashing in the market which arises when businesses claim that their products are more sustainable than they actually are. According to survey results conducted by Euroconsumers in 2021, 53% of the respondents indicated that they were not able to distinguish between false and true environmental claims. The prevalence of greenwashing will reduce consumer confidence in sustainability claims, and discourage businesses from engaging in sustainability innovation.

Different groups of consumers have different consumption patterns and perceptions. A so-called ‘intention-action gap’ should also be considered where there is a significant gap between what consumers say they are willing to do and how they actually spend their money. Therefore, when designing policy tools to promote sustainability, consumer behavior and psychology should be analysed and experimented with.

This webinar will provide an opportunity to discuss i) how consumers perceive environmental claims, ii) how to deal with greenwashing in the market; and iii) how to nudge consumers towards more environmental (sustainable) products and companies.

Moderator: Ms. Elizabeth Gachuiri – Economic Affairs Officer

• Ms. Mareille de Bloois (Senior Enforcement Officer, Authority for Consumers and Markets, Netherlands)
• Prof. Lawrence Loh (Director, Centre for Governance and Sustainability, National University of Singapore)
• Dr. Harald Throne-Holst (Senior Researcher, Oslo Metropolitan University)
• Dr. Vedran Lesic (Senior Adviser Behavioural Science Insight, Competition and Markets Authority, United Kingdom)
• Ms. Lizzie Horvitz (Founder & CEO of Finch Insights)
• Mr. Oliver Bealby-Wright (Sustainable Consumption Specialist, Consumers International)

Participation is by invitation only.