Consumers may be more planet conscious than ever, but trying to shop sustainably during a cost of living crisis has put even more of a strain on people's already limited budgets. In the UK, Aldi has opened an ‘eco store’ to offer shoppers eco-friendly choices at purse-friendly prices.
Aldi, an affordable supermarket chain hailing from Germany, has opened a new concept store in Leamington Spa in the UK to offer shoppers sustainable choices at an affordable price. The store was created using materials that have a low carbon footprint in mind and the building has energy saving features such as solar panels, and in-store there are collection points for ‘hard to recycle’ materials not collected by local authorities, recycling points for coffee pods and refill stations where shoppers can fill up their own containers or use a free paper bag.
Sustainable consumerism is taking hold across the globe, with 60% of grocery shoppers in Germany willing to pay more to buy products that are better for the environment and more than half of grocery shoppers showing a similar attitude in the US (58%), UK (57%) and Australia (53%). But as inflation bites, purchasing decisions are ultimately influenced by affordability as price becomes an important factor for 79% of shoppers.
Despite rising inflation becoming a barrier for more than half of shoppers that want to adopt sustainable shopping habits, 1 in 5 shoppers (25%) will buy sustainable products from a specialist store highlighting the opportunity that exists for brands to expand their planet positive product ranges while keeping costs low for consumers. Iceland is offering grocery loans to help Britons combat food poverty, and Swift focuses on convenient and affordable meal solutions.
