Paris/Montreal, 8 April 2014 – While 87% of consumers
surveyed worldwide want companies to adopt sourcing policies that respect
biodiversity, only 27% of the top 100 beauty and personal care companies actually
mention biodiversity on their websites or in their corporate sociability
reports, according to the newly launched 2014 Union for Ethical BioTrade (UEBT)
Biodiversity Barometer.
Further, the report suggests that more than 85% of surveyed
consumers want companies to provide more information on the concrete actions
they are taking to respect biodiversity in their sourcing policies. Conducted
in February 2014, some 7,000 consumers in Brazil, China, Colombia, Germany,
France, UK, USA and Vietnam participated in the survey.
The 2014 Biodiversity Barometer also confirmed that
biodiversity awareness is particularly high in emerging markets. More than 90%
of respondents in Brazil, Colombia, Vietnam and China have heard about
biodiversity, with 49% of respondents able to correctly define biodiversity,
twice the number of that in developed countries.
“Consumers in emerging markets show a good understanding of
biodiversity and a high interest in ethical sourcing. With market growth
increasingly realized in these countries, these findings are of strategic importance
for companies investing in emerging markets,” says UEBT Executive Director Rik
Kutsch Lojenga.
“Consumers are also increasingly looking for transparency.
In 2014, 87% of consumers surveyed for UEBT say they buy cosmetic products that
use natural ingredients, while 77% pay attention to the origin of such
ingredients,” adds Remy Oudghiri, Director of Trends and Insights at Ipsos.
Aichi Biodiversity Target 1 of the Strategic Plan for
Biodiversity 2011-2020 aims to ensure that by 2020 people are aware of the
values of biodiversity and the steps they can take to conserve it and use it sustainably.
The 2014 UEBT Biodiversity Barometer finds that biodiversity awareness has
increased since 2009. However, since 2012, growth in understanding of
biodiversity has slowed down.
To reach the 2020 targets additional awareness raising
efforts are required. “84% of respondents say it is important to personally
contribute to conserving biodiversity. This highlights the importance placed on
biodiversity and provides us with a tremendous opportunity to work together to
conserve and use biodiversity sustainably and in a fair and equitable way and
address the biodiversity loss and its benefits to society,” says Braulio
Ferreira de Souza Dias, CBD Executive Secretary.
A summary of the 2014 Biodiversity Barometer offering
further insights into global biodiversity awareness is available at: www.uebt.org
About the UEBT Biodiversity Barometer
By 2020, the world’s citizens should be aware of
biodiversity, according to the United Nations’ 2020 targets. The UEBT
Biodiversity Barometer helps measure progress. This is important for the UN and
for governments, which are rolling out policies to meet these targets. It is
also valuable for companies needing to understand how growing biodiversity
awareness affects purchasing decisions and reporting requirements. Assigned by
UEBT, global research organisation Ipsos, surveyed 38,000 consumers in 13 countries
between 2009 and 2014.
The Union for Ethical BioTrade
The Union for Ethical BioTrade (UEBT) is a member based
non-profit association that promotes the ‘Sourcing with Respect’ of ingredients
that come from biodiversity. Members commit to ensuring that their sourcing
practices gradually advance sustainable business growth, local development and biodiversity
conservation. UEBT was created in 2007 as a spin off from the United Nations to
promote business engagement in BioTrade.
For more information, please visit: www.uebt.org
Contact: Union for Ethical BioTrade, Tel: +31 20 223 4567, info@ethicalbiotrade.org
No comments:
Post a Comment