Recent studies indicate that global consumers feel personally accountable for social and environmental issues – and they look to companies as partners in that endeavor. Ninety percent of consumers expect companies to do more than make a profit1 and 39% of CEOs think their businesses should be doing more to measure environmental and social impact.2
Expectations for SRI/ESG involvement are highest among companies with more than $15 billion in revenue. More than 75% of these large firms have reported that they experienced increased pressure to weigh in on social and environmental issues and that 86% of large companies expect that pressure to increase over the next three years.3
The sharp increase in SRI and ESG mandates across sectors is already being reflected in consumer studies. A study by Cone Communications1 suggests that 72% of consumers believe their purchases make a moderate-to-significant positive impact on social or environmental issues. Part of this may be attributed to an improvement and transparency in how companies talk about and represent their green products – confusion about language and messaging dropped from 71% in 2011 to 65% in 2015.
Global Consumers Willing to Make Personal Sacrifices to Address Social and Environmental Issues. Cone Communications. 5/27/2015
19th Annual Global CEO Survey. PWC. January 2016.
Public Affairs Council. July 2016.
