A growing number of Brazilians are losing confidence in our ability to save the planet, according to new global research from Mintel. The Global Outlook on Sustainability * report reveals a crisis of ecological confidence. The number of Brazilians who say “if we act now, we still have time to save the planet” fell by nine percentage points, from 64% in 2021 to 55% in 2024. Globally, the number fell by seven percentage points, from 55 % in 2021 to 48% in 2024.
Consumers are also less convinced that they can make a difference to the future of the planet. There is a global decline in the number of consumers who believe their actions can make a positive difference to the environment, falling from 51% in 2021 to 47% in 2024. Today, 50% of Brazilians say their behavior can make a positive difference to the environment, down from 54% in 2021.
Doing their part to help focus the world’s attention on the environment, eco-activists are well-regarded in Brazil – 52% of Brazilians agree that eco-activists have raised their awareness of environmental issues (up from 51% who said the same in 2023 ). This is likely influencing the 35% of people worldwide who don’t believe companies are honest about their environmental impact and the 34% of Brazilians who say the same.
Richard Cope, Senior Trends Consultant, Mintel Consulting , said:
“While the experience of climate change and its existential and public health threats can awaken and engage consumers, a growing understanding of the scale of increasingly urgent challenges can also erode optimism and create a sense of overwhelm. This is what we have seen happen during this extensive multi-year study, with the belief that ‘we still have time to save the planet’ disappearing.
“Increased exposure to extreme events, media coverage of successive COP events and eco-activists all play a role in this sentiment. On the one hand, activism, legal challenges and legislation educate consumers about their rights and increase their awareness of what brands should be doing and what constitutes so-called greenwashing . On the other hand, increased awareness contributes to a certain despondency.
“Brands must play a role in reassuring and educating people, but the challenge is that people are skeptical about brands’ green credentials. More than a third (34%) of Brazilian consumers do not trust companies to be honest about their environmental impact, representing a major challenge for brands.”
So what can brands do to build trust among consumers?
“Brands can use clear communication and metrics to encourage consumers to make more sustainable choices.
“The top consumer choice for the type of on-pack sustainability claim or label that would significantly impact their purchasing decision is a simple, Nutriscore-style rating scale (selected by 29%* of Brazilians and 30% of consumers globally) that shows the environmental impact (eg a 1-5 scale or red/yellow/green color coding) of a product. For consumers, a single label would be more effective than a confusing array of claims such as ‘organic’, ‘fair trade’, and so on.
“The second most popular sustainability claim or label on packaging is information about the product’s impact on people (eg the number of producers lifted out of poverty), chosen by 31% of Brazilians and 27% of consumers globally. Our research shows that this signals the need for the climate crisis and its solutions to be humanized.
“As climate change becomes a public health crisis with deadly heatwaves and pollution, personal health must be positioned and prioritized as a benefit of sustainable products wherever possible. For brands’ sustainability campaigns to be most effective, they need to focus on showcasing the benefits to consumers in terms of efficiency, frugality and well-being on an individual level, before their benefits to the environment at large.”
Additional research and interviews with Richard Cope are available upon request from Mintel Press Office .
* Tracks the environmental and social priorities, purchasing behaviors, engagement, and level of understanding of sustainability topics of 10,000 consumers from 10 countries: US, Brazil, UK, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, China, India, and Japan.