CorpComms Magazine

Consumers are baffled by the term 'sustainability', with just 17 per cent linking it to eco-friendly practices, according to a study by market research consultants Incite.

Despite a massive push in sustainability marketing and coverage of the term, another 17 per cent of respondents thought it referred to a company's financial security and means of ensuring continued economic growth.

Of those who identified the word in its non-financial context, most associated it with environmental friendliness and responsible employment practices.

Supermarkets have made the biggest gains in consumer perceptions of sustainability, with six featuring in the top ten sustainable companies as voted by UK consumers.

Internet concerns have also made the grade in the public eye, boasting a cache of four of the consumer survey's ten most sustainable companies, amongst them eBay, the online marketplace which has developed a number of fairtrade partnerships and Google, with its corporate motto, 'Don't be evil'.

As a motivating factor for buying a product, whether the company was sustainable only ranked fifth out of six, trumped in terms of purchasing power by 'value for money', 'consumer service', 'product safety' and 'brand'.

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