INSIGHTS
COTTON INCORPORATED
SUPPLY CHAIN
SUSTAINABILITY: CONCERNED CONSUMERS
94%
91%
94%
91%
75%
81%
63%
ITALY
MEXICO
ITALY
U.S.
75%
GERMANY
INDIA
CHINA
U.K.
With increasing attention to global environmental change,
86% of consumers across the world are concerned about
sustainability, and this concern has only grown in the past
year. As environmental issues like air pollution and water
quality/scarcity touch their everyday lives, 93% of consumers
in emerging markets express concern for sustainability.
Brands can partner with consumers by offering products they
perceive as natural and safe for the environment.
KEY INSIGHTS
• Sustainability is a rising concern for consumers, especially
those in emerging markets such as China, India, and Mexico,
highlighting the need for brands to address the environmental
impact of their products.
• Consumers think of sustainability in terms of preserving – or at
least not damaging – the environment. Products described as
“natural” communicate environmental-friendliness to consumers.
• Brands can speak to consumers’ concern for sustainability by
marketing clothing made from natural fibers such as cotton.
GLOBAL CONCERN FOR SUSTAINABILITY
TOP ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS
CONCERN HAS GROWN
32%
WATER
SCARCITY
38%
AIR
POLLUTION
24%
WATER
QUALITY
24%
DEPLETION OF
NATURAL RESOURCES
19%
POPULATION
GROWTH
41%
CLIMATE
CHANGE
FOOD
SAFETY
20%
41%
38%
32%
24%
24%
19%
CLIMATE CHANGE
AIR POLLUTION
WATER SCARCITY
WATER QUALITY
DEPLETION OF NATURAL
RESOURCES
POPULATION GROWTH
FOOD SAFETY
20%
% who have become
more concerned about
sustainability over the
past year
% saying concerns about environmental change are very real and require change in our behavior
Consumer concern for sustainability affects shopping behavior
as 63% of consumers globally – including 77% of consumers in
emerging markets – put time and effort into finding sustainable
clothing. They connect ideas of sustainability with naturalness,
understanding both as tied to the earth’s resources. Thus,
the effort to make sustainable purchases leads consumers to
clothing made of natural fibers, especially cotton.
81%
81%
70%
67%
54%
44%
44%
CHINA
INDIA
MEXICO
ITALY
GERMANY
U.K.
U.S.
SUSTAINABILITY IN
CLOTHING PURCHASES
% putting time and effort into finding sustainable clothing
CONSUMERS SAY
SUSTAINABLE CLOTHING IS...
NATURAL
56
%
100% COTTON
52
%
WHAT DOES
“NATURAL” MEAN?
Sources: Cotton Council International & Cotton Incorporated 2017 Global Environment Survey – survey of 7,365 women & men, ages 18-60 in the U.S., U.K., India,
China, Mexico, Germany, and Italy who have involvement in clothes shopping.
1 in 2 consumers have spent more
money to buy clothing made from
natural fibers such as cotton
LEARN MORE about Sustainable
Cotton Innovations at
http://cottontoday.cottoninc.com
“I associate it with nature, something
pure, without processing,
basic.”
– Mexican Consumer
“Environmentally friendly and made
of renewable raw materials.”
– German Consumer
WHAT DOES
“SUSTAINABLE” MEAN?