Pollster: Estonian consumers increasingly disinterested in green topics
A fresh trend study by Emor shows that Estonian consumers are placing less value year by year on companies' green mindset and the environmental friendliness of products and services.
"The increase is specifically in respondents expressing a 'rather not important' attitude. However, there has been no significant change in the share of consumers who strongly value a green mindset or who are clearly opposed to it," said Emor research expert Katrin Männaste.
Six out of ten people believe that making environmentally sustainable choices should primarily be the responsibility of companies, while only one in ten sees consumers as bearing the main responsibility.
Willingness to pay more for environmentally friendly products remains below two-thirds (63 percent) and most people are prepared to accept a price increase of up to 5 percent.
Supporters of slowing down or halting the green transition also outnumber those who would like to accelerate it or continue at the current pace. There is a clear generational divide in attitudes: while more than half of people under 35 support continuing at least at the current pace, only a quarter of those aged 50 and older do so.
Among local companies, the firms perceived as environmentally friendly by people in Estonia are largely the same as before. Emor mapped the most environmentally minded companies across four sectors: manufacturing, retail, ICT/finance/telecom/media and infrastructure. For example, among infrastructure companies, the State Forest Management Center (RMK) continues to be seen as the most environmentally friendly, followed by Ragn-Sells, Enefit, Tallinna Vesi, DPD and Elron.
Companies are still primarily judged as environmentally friendly based on their field of activity. However, open-ended responses indicate that consumers have noticed specific steps taken toward environmental sustainability. For manufacturers and retail companies, respondents highlighted environmentally friendly packaging and organic products; for service providers, a shift toward paperless transactions.
The online survey, conducted from February 19 to March 4, included 1,066 residents of Estonia aged 16 to 74. To identify the most environmentally friendly companies and brands, respondents were asked to select up to five in each sector from a predefined list. The selection was made from around 30 of the most well-known and highly regarded companies and brands in each field, based on findings from Emor's other studies evaluating brands and companies.
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Editor: Marcus Turovski
