Three in every five adults in Ireland are now actively avoiding products they don’t need to better help the environment yet over half still won’t pay a premium for more sustainable goods.
These are among the latest findings uncovered by Penney’s 2024 Pulse of the Nation Index – the fashion retailer’s annual report on customer behaviours and habits when it comes to sustainability.
According to the latest research – an in-depth look into how sustainability is influencing Irish lifestyles and spending habits conducted in partnership with Amárach Research – 71% of women now avoid plastic packaging where possible, compared to 60% of men.
Affordability of more sustainable products has proved itself another consistently deciding factor for Irish consumers once again. The latest reports finds that 72% of the public see price as the most important when buying clothes or accessories, while only 15% decide based on products being more sustainable or made using recycled fibres.
In line with this, Penneys (known as Primark outside of Ireland) has committed to transforming how clothes are sourced and made while making sustainable fashion accessible to everyone.
The fashion brand has committed to making 100% of its clothing using recycled or more sustainably sourced materials by 2030. Currently, it is at 55%.
According to the Penneys Pulse of the Nation Index, two-thirds of Irish adults now avoid plastic packaging and more than four in ten (44%) try to buy products made from more sustainable materials whenever possible. Approximately three in five (57%) adults say they try not to buy products they don’t need to help the environment.
Encouragingly, people are acting to ensure the items they own last longer. Almost half (48%) claim to wash clothes at a lower temperature while approximately one in four Irish shoppers bought a pre-loved item in the three months before the survey was conducted. An impressive 28% claim to have upcycled or repaired an item in that same time frame, while just over 20% bought an item made from recycled or more sustainably sourced materials.
Despite these encouraging signs, the research has highlighted the need among customers and shoppers for more help deciphering how to shop more sustainably. Three in five adults were confident in their ability to decode clothing labels, while only two in five claimed to have the confidence in understanding a company’s sustainability credentials.
The company’s latest report has been welcomed by Ossian Smyth TD, Minister of State with responsibility for Public Procurement, eGovernment and Circular Economy who feels encouraged that “Irish people are becoming more environmentally conscious” while noting the frustration of many “when trying to make sense of sustainability.”
“There are national and European policy responses and legislation coming down the track which will provide clear and accessible information on sustainability to all consumers to enable them to make informed choices when shopping while also supporting the textile and fashion industry to internalise circularity principles and adopt circular business models,” he said.
Lynne Walker, director of Primark Cares, added: “We commissioned this research to better understand our customers and their challenges in making better choice. While it confirms people are trying to change, it’s clear they don’t always know and certainly don’t want to pay more.
“As a global fashion retailer, we have the scale and will to play a big part in driving change – not only in how we change to become a more circular business but also in educating and empowering consumers.”
The report is the latest in a series of ongoing insights commissioned by Penneys into the public’s attitudes towards sustainability. It’s this kind of insight that has informed the company’s Primark Cares strategy to date.
Primark Cares’ ten year programme aims to reduce the impact its business has on the planet, improve the livelihoods of the people who make its clothes, and end fashion waste – all with the ambition to make more sustainable choices affordable to everyone.
