Climate change is a hot topic. (Just getting that pun out of the way early. No more, I promise.) It’s impossible to ignore – environmentalism, footprint and sustainability are topics relentlessly thrown at us by either corporate media or mass media. But how do people really respond to these messages? Are the messages sinking in? And if so, what are people doing about it?

Synovate Brazil has conducted two significant projects in which the major objective was to understand to what extent sustainability affects consumers' lives. As it turns out, Brazilian consumers overall are not very environmentally aware, and those that are don't let it interfere with their lives too much. 

Before we continue, let’s examine what it is that a Brazilian citizen is looking for in life – stability and financial growth, being able to provide for their family, respect, good health and material assets. These aren’t unusual concerns for anyone, yet they do fall under the category of self-driven purposes, meaning it’s about how the world affects my life.

It seems that the idea of social wellbeing, with everyone fighting for a common environmental goal, doesn't exist. Wellbeing, whether in reference to a city, state, country or even the planet, only makes sense when it is related to one's own personal wellbeing.

This is not to say that Brazilian consumers aren’t affected by sustainability at all, but rather that the associations they make with environmentalism are often unattached, and not necessarily based on reality. It is information that emanates and spreads from media or word of mouth and, despite this, the issue of sustainability remains a complete stranger to many.

Four walls

Awareness is one thing, but what about taking action? Synovate found that there are four barriers that stand in the way of citizens embracing environmentalism. The first of these is habit: people would rather not take part in something than let it throw out their regular routine.

Secondly, the economy plays a factor: going green is all fine and well, just so long as there are no extra costs in doing it. Thirdly, people are generally unaware of how to set up, or practice, different environmentally friendly schemes. 

The last of these barriers is the idea of outsourcing the problem – passing the buck and claiming that some other institution (private corporations, government, schools, even the community) should be the ones responsible for the environment, exempting themselves from guilt and individual responsibility. 

So the problem is not awareness, but action. Consumers are often aware of the general problem, but not of how to go about solving it.  And many seem to be concerned. However, maybe due to the human essence, there is inert behaviour that would only change in the case of a real, immediate and personal threat. Many people end up not doing anything because they simply don't know where to start, or maybe because they simply don't feel motivated, as they believe their individual efforts would be insufficient due to the hugeness of the matter. 

There are a few conclusions that we can draw from this, but in the ever-lasting search for simplicity (and because I like making lists), it’s best to put it down to three main factors. The first is that of individualism causing a barrier – people are generally reluctant to change their routines and habits to accommodate a greener way of life, especially if this means shelling out extra cash. The second is that of outsourcing the problem. As mentioned earlier, the concept of passing the buck seems to be a popular one, making it easier to people to not take on a personal responsibility for the environment. Finally there’s awareness, or rather lack thereof. Many don’t know how to go about setting up environmental practices, or even just practicing the systems already put in place, so a lack of awareness has cropped up as a likely excuse for poor green measures.

In short, we all essentially agree that environmentalism is a good idea, so long as someone else takes care of it. At the end of the day, brands looking to promote being green first need to make it personal.  

For more information please contact Sergio Pinto, New Business & Development Director, Synovate Brazil or Eduardo Sincofsky, VP of New Business & Client Services, Synovate Brazil