National Geographic and Globescan teamed up for the third annual Consumer Greendex study, which evaluates the "greenness" of shoppers in various countries around the world. The study monitored 17,000 consumers in 17 countries, taking into account energy use, transportation, food, housing, and knowledge of environmental issues. The end result is a vaguely scientific index of sustainable consumption.
According to this year's report, environmentally friendly behavior in consumers increased in 10 out of 17 countries. Overall, the most sustainable consumers are from developing countries like India, Brazil, and China. At the bottom: big footprint consumers in industrialized countries like the US, Canada, France and the UK.
The research has some interesting findings:
- Japanese consumers eat the most fish and seafood
- 65% of Germans drink bottled water daily (boo!)
- Consumers in most countries say that environmentally friendly product premiums are worth it to them (nice!)
Just how "scientific" is the Greendex? That's a matter of debate, but its definitely a useful tool for tracking the shift to sustainability.
– Mitchell Flexo