Over a third (34%) of UK pub and restaurant goers are prepared to spend more than usual in venues with strong sustainability credentials. Gen Z and Millennials are most inclined to splash out on greener choices (47%).
The report, Sustainability Matters: What consumers want and how brands can win, surveyed 5,000 UK hospitality consumers and found that despite the ongoing cost-of-living crisis, sustainability remains a key priority for UK consumers when eating out.
70% of Brits are now actively trying to live a more sustainable lifestyle, and over a third (34%) of UK pub and restaurant goers are prepared to spend more than usual in venues with strong sustainability credentials. Consumers in the 18-34 age group are nearly twice as likely to pay more for sustainability than those aged 55+, and with women, frequent hospitality visitors and Londoners all over-indexing for engagement, there should be significant rewards for hospitality operators who put sustainability at the heart of their business. Furthermore, only 23% of UK consumers are now saying that sustainability is currently unimportant in their choice of venues, showing that sustainability matters to the vast majority of diners.
However, consumers want better communication, demanding more guidance from the pubs, bars, cafés, and restaurants they visit to enable them to make more environmentally friendly choices, and the research shows that existing green credentials aren’t cutting through.
Stephen Nolan, CEO of Nutritics, said: “The climate crisis has focused consumers’ minds on environmental impact — not just their own, but they also want to see hospitality playing its part in reducing its environmental impact.
“Operators who seize the opportunity to capitalise on this demand, through better customer communication of credible initiatives, will profit from an ever-increasing competitive advantage. The operators who invest in understanding which sustainability initiatives make customers tick will drive loyalty and spend and effectively build not just environmentally sustainable brands but economically sustainable businesses.”
Karl Chessell, Director, Hospitality Operators and Food, EMEA at CGA, added: “Despite the fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic and cost-of-living pressures, the message is clear – consumers still care about sustainability and want to be equipped to be able to make informed choices.
“But it’s important to focus on the positives in sustainability. Pubs, bars and restaurants that show good practice can improve brand trust and increase guest spend. Good sustainability practice isn’t just the ethical thing to do, it’s commercially valuable too.”
Sustainability Matters: What consumers want and how brands can win will be available to download in June. For more information on the report and it’s findings, plus news and insights from Nutritics, click here.
