Eco Consumer Insights

Trend - Coffee brands have focused their sustainability goals to the pods and coffee grounds themselves, but some brands are now making machines and brewers that are also eco-friendly. Brewers are being made with low-power functions, recycled (and recyclable) materials, and extended lifespans.

Insight - As more consumers are introduced to convenient and effective eco-friendly alternatives to traditional products, they're more likely to value sustainability when searching for products they intend to use in the long term. Eco conscious consumers are looking for ways to steadily adopt a lifestyle that has minimal environmental impact--and seek out brands that make sustainable claims without asking consumers to change their habits and routines.

Trend - Brands in the sleep industry are transitioning to "greener" business models, and recent products include comforters made from recycled materials. Recycled plastic comforter fillings promote a brands' environmental priorities without altering the quality or lifespan of the products.

Insight - While more people are making sustainable purchase decisions and lifestyle changes, they're also looking for ways to be eco-friendly without altering their quality of life. Brands that help consumers transition to sustainable lifestyles while prioritizing equal (or better) product experiences will have a competitive edge as the market for sustainable products continues to grow.

Trend - Brands are releasing smart inflation devices in ultra-portable form factors. These inflators provide instant support for bikes, cars, and inflatables without requiring wall connectivity. These also include smart pressure indicators, making them easy to use without prior experience.

Insight - The micro-mobility space continues to grow in popularity with the modern consumer. Electric bikes and scooters offer a level of convenience beyond that of a traditional bike or full-sized car due to the ease of use, low entry-cost, and ease of maintenance. However, consumers are still often faced with maintenance challenges, such as stuck chains or deflated tires. As a result, these consumers are investing in ultra-portable service kits as reliable contingency plans.

Trend - Companies in the production, retail, and logistics spaces are looking to artificial intelligence (AI) models to reduce emissions. The AI models help optimize production, cut-out excess waste, better manage inventory, and improve overall sustainability using predictive and analytical models.

Insight - In recent years governmental regulatory bodies have placed increased pressure on businesses to reduce emissions and go green. As a response to this, many businesses have made green commitments with strict timeframes, often aiming to achieve net-zero emissions in a matter of a decade. These businesses aim to achieve these goals without reducing their profit margins, meaning they often do not want to hire new departments. As such, they are increasingly turning to analytical AI models.

Trend - Globally, discarded electronics have become a huge source of waste. For some interior design and jewelry brands, this waste presents an opportunity to repurpose materials and create upscale decorative pieces. Furniture and jewelry pieces made from e-waste offer sustainability and a unique selling point.

Insight - The popularity (and often, necessity) of electronics, coupled with brands creating products with shorter life cycles, has had a huge impact on global waste in the last 20 years. Consumers are becoming more conscious of the environmental impact of even "upscale" investments, and more are choosing brands that operate on sustainable business models. These consumers turn to businesses that are able to seamlessly merge sustainable principles with contemporary design.

Trend - Products in fresh food aisles tend to come in single-use plastic packaging, but F&B brands are now offering paper-based packages, trays and sealing wraps for these items. These packages are recyclable or biodegradable, and don't contain the polyethylene film that's common in paper packaging.

Insight - Eco-conscious consumers are becoming more mindful of the fact that seemingly small consumption habits, like buying single-use plastics, make a difference on their environmental impact over time. Though more consumers are opting to shop sustainably, most are still choosing to make changes to their day-to-day purchases and habits on a micro scale for reasons like cost and efficacy. This gives brands the opportunity to align their sustainability goals with consumers' rituals and routines.

Trend - Brands in the micro-mobility space have begun using hydraulic braking mechanisms in e-bikes and e-scooters. These brakes are more expensive than standard mechanical brakes but are safer and more reliable when braking at high speeds, which are more often achieved by e-bikes and e-scooters.

Insight - Traditional bike consumers are familiar with maintenance and small repairs on their bikes. However, consumers drawn to e-bikes and e-scooters are more motivated by convenience and are less willing to perform maintenance to ensure the bike is in perfect working order. These consumers are willing to pay larger premiums upfront to not spend on maintenance costs downstream, leading to brands using premium alternatives for components that are more prone to fail.

Trend - As more food retailers prioritize sustainability, coatings made from eco-friendly materials are being used to individually wrap and protect produce. On top of being eco-friendly, these coatings and wraps prevent spoilage and bruising to extend the produce's lifespan.

Insight - While most industries are putting more effort into environmental protection, products in this space can be less efficient or durable. Sustainability is increasingly important to consumers, but they don't want their sustainability efforts to inconvenience their lifestyles. As the market for eco-friendly products expands, brands that are able to prioritize sustainable practices while equally balancing the product's efficacy will stand out most.

Trend - Brands in the several consumables industries, such as cosmetics and food, have begun using containers made out of sugarcane bagasse. This is a pulpy, fibrous material gained from drying and crushing sugarcane. This is affordable, food-safe, biodegradable, and temperature-resistant.

Insight - Some of the industries most affected by the push for sustainable packaging are foodservice and food retail. Consumers prefer when these products are fully sustainable, as there is no need for foods, particularly CPGs, to be packaged or individually wrapped with single-use plastics. However, these consumers are still drawn to more affordable products, and do not want to pay a large markup. This creates pressure for brands to find low-cost sustainable food-safe packaging solutions.

Trend - Brands in the kitchenware and appliance industries are creating compact, low-power alternatives to large utilities such as dishwashers and microwaves. These are designed to be portable cost-saving measures, requiring less resources to operate while also being suitable for multi-homes.

Insight - Many consumers choose not to use large, power-hungry appliances in the home, for example, choosing to do dishes by hand rather than with a dishwasher due to rising hydro bills. Each additional appliance takes more space out of the kitchen, with ovens, dishwashers, microwaves, and more, taking up the majority of the floor and counter space. This creates a demand not only for smaller, more compact appliances, but also for those that are more energy-efficient and portable.