Will 2021 be the year of living sustainably for Europe?
By Thin Lei Win Driving less. Opting for trains instead of planes. Cutting down on red meat and consuming more locally grown food. Buying less but spending more on sustainable products.
If these preferences from multiple surveys with tens of thousands of people across Europe are anything to go by, 2021 might be the year when consumer behaviour makes a significant shift towards eco-friendly living.
The findings suggest now could be the time for policy makers and green activists to jump-start a lasting transition to tackle global warming alongside social and economic inequalities, researchers told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.
Typical marketing instruments – such as colour coding and scale – are being used to influence consumer purchasing behaviour, argues EDA board member Valentina Zanetti. Mars, amongst others, does not agree.
The European Commission is yet to reveal what front-of-pack (FOP) labelling scheme it plans to roll out by the end of 2022. It has confirmed that whatever format the nutrition label takes, it will be harmonised and mandatory.
The planned introduction of a such a scheme – examples include Nutri-Score, Traffic Light, NutrInform Battery, and Keyhole – has been welcomed by a good number of health experts, retailers, and food makers.
Others, however, argue that such simplified, colour-coded schemes serve as a marketing tool for industry.
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