Dutch more interested in sustainability due to corona

Climate and sustainability are gaining interest as a result of COVID-19. When the pandemic broke out in the spring of 2020, discussions immediately arose in our country about how this would affect the interest in sustainability and would influence the public. Voices were heard that sustainability work would lose momentum as a result of the Corona crisis. One year later, we can state that the interest of the Dutch citizen for environmental and social issues seems to have developed in exactly the opposite direction. 

This is evident from the results of the sustainability study Sustainable Brand Index 2021, which annually measures the attitudes and behaviour of the Dutch in the area of sustainability. 

When asked how the COVID-19 pandemic has influenced interest in environmental and social issues, 33 percent of the Dutch respond that it has increased because of Corona. 43 percent believe that interest is unchanged, while only 17 percent say they have less interest in sustainability issues. 7 percent do not know.

More urgency for climate and local production

We know that the pandemic has forced people to have more local experiences and travel less. The link between sustainability and nature, forest, outdoor life and health is very clear to the Dutch and naturally also benefits companies that stand for these values.

There is an increased sense of urgency among the Dutch regarding climate and local production. The understanding of humanity's vulnerability has increased and this means that people generally have a greater understanding of sustainability and especially of climate and biodiversity. 

Strong focus on positive change

In the Netherlands, sustainability and environmental responsibility may be less culturally embedded and mainstream compared to the Nordic countries, there is a much stronger focus on companies and brands to create positive change. Especially in recent years, there has been a big wave of sustainability work and communication from brands, which the Dutch consumer is quite positive about. For Dutch consumers, environmental and economic responsibility often have to go hand in hand, with a strong focus on areas such as energy, agriculture and resource efficiency. Particularly in the past year, there has also been a strong focus on corporate social responsibility, also prompted by the Corona pandemic.  

About the research behind Sustainable Brand Index 

The Sustainable Brand Index is Europe's largest independent brand survey on sustainability. The research has been conducted annually since 2011 (in Scandinavian countries) and since 2017 also in the Netherlands. In the 2021 survey, a nationally representative sample of over 9,000 Dutch people were interviewed in the period January and February 2021. A total of 196 brands were assessed by Dutch consumers on their responsibilities and their sustainability work. 

sb-index.com