Millions of Brits don’t consider the environment when buying household items, a study shows

Millions of Brits admit they have a ‘sustainable blind spot’ when it comes to buying a range of products – including sofas, TVs and even houseplants.

A poll of 2,000 adults found for 58 per cent, the environmental impact of many household items “doesn’t even cross their mind”.

Millions admit they don't often consider the environment when buying household items — Millions admit they don’t often consider the environment when buying household items

Clothes ranked as the most common item which will be purchased without considering its impact, while four in 10 don’t think about the footprint of the smartphones they buy.

A third don’t deliberate whether there’s an eco-friendlier option when shopping for white goods, and 29 per cent won’t explore greener choices when it comes to the tyres they put on their vehicle.

But while 36 and 33 per cent shop for veg and meat with one eye where it has been sourced from, just five per cent will do so when it comes to furniture.

The research was commissioned by the John Lewis Partnership to mark its new British leather pledge – from today all leather used in its own label sofas and chairs will be from the British farms which produce beef for sister brand Waitrose.

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Marija Rompani, the director of ethics and sustainability for the department store, said: “Everyone has the right to a sustainable choice no matter what they’re buying.

“But this research shows there’s a lot more work to be done to help shoppers make informed choices when buying certain products.

“Whether it is everyday household staples or larger items, these all have an ethical and sustainable impact – but knowing what to look for isn’t always as easy as it should be.

“This is why we try to source all key materials used for our products to more sustainable standards to make it easy for our customers to make more informed choices.”

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The research went on to find 85 per cent of adults own leather items – but 80 per cent don’t know if they came from a British farm.

Six in 10 (62 per cent) don’t consider the welfare of the animal when purchasing leather, yet 73 per cent of the meat eaters polled say animal welfare is important when buying meat.

And nearly nine in 10 (89 per cent) said it is important to them to buy British and locally sourced items.

Eggs, meat, vegetables and dairy are the products shoppers are making the most effort to always buy British.

But just nine per cent will consider purchasing a British made sofa and seven per cent cars manufactured locally.

It emerged price, convenience and the brand are the three leading considerations shoppers make when deciding what item to purchase.

And this is ahead of whether the packaging can be recycled and if the product was sourced sustainably, the OnePoll.com study found.

However, many are calling for retailers to help consumers shop greener – with 48 per cent wanting to see sustainable goods priced more competitively.

Nearly half (47 per cent) want labelling to be clearer about what sustainable options are available – as 30 per cent would welcome specific sections in stores dedicated to green goods.

And 39 per cent want to see retailers incentivise consumers to buy more sustainable products.

Marija Rompani from the John Lewis Partnership, which made a number of new sustainability pledges in its Nature Plan last October, added: “Running a department store and a supermarket gives us a unique ability to connect our two businesses and innovate in ways others can’t.

“With shoppers increasingly aware of where their products come from, we saw an opportunity to use the leather being produced by our Waitrose farmers and use it to create beautifully crafted, high quality pieces of furniture that will last.

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“By applying the same principles into our leather as we do with the products we stock on the shelf at Waitrose, we can offer the public a range of sofas and chairs using British sourced, higher welfare leather that’s distinct from anything else on the market.”