Supermarkets top UK green brands list

The 2008 ImagePower Green Brands survey includes feedback from 1,500 respondents in the UK to examine today's consumer perceptions of the environment.

Britain's leading supermarkets are overwhelmingly the 'greenest' brands in the UK, according to new research from WPP's Landor Associates, Cohn and Wolfe PR and Penn, Schoen and Berland Associates (PSB).

The 2008 ImagePower Green Brands survey, which polled over 1,500 UK adults in April, was dominated by the country's top grocers, who occupied five of the top six places in this year's league table.

For the second year running, The Body Shop came out as the number one green brand overall.

This year it was followed by Marks and Spencer, Waitrose, Tesco, Sainsbury and Asda.

The rest of the top 10 is occupied by Dove, Google, the Co-operative bank and utility giant E.ON.

Phil Gandy, senior consultant at Landor, said: "The British public have clearly responded positively to initiatives such as Marks and Spencer's widely publicised Plan A campaign and most recently its move to charge for plastic bags.

"Companies and brands that aspire to be green need to find ways to connect with consumers and stakeholders in similarly direct ways.

"Brands that focus and deliver on simple, tangible initiatives in easily understood branded wrappers will gain the greatest traction".

The popularity of supermarket initiatives reflects a key finding of the 2008 survey: that a practical focus on reducing waste and recycling has now replaced the 'big picture' of climate change as the top environmental concern of the British people.

When asked to name the 'most important green issue or problem today', 24 per cent said 'waste generated by individuals or corporations', up from 11 per cent last year.

But engagement with the abstract issues fell dramatically.

In 2007, climate change and global warming were rated top green issues by 40 per cent of respondents.

This year, these ranked as the top concern for only 15 per cent of Britons.

Geoff Beattie, leader of Cohn and Wolfe's global Sustainability Practice, said: "There is a lesson here for governments and other brands and businesses who want to educate the public on threats like climate change, which can be perceived as abstract and not relevant to everyday lives.

"The reason the supermarkets have done so well in our survey is that they are able to talk to people about the environment in concrete terms that they can understand and relate to".

The British public appears pessimistic about the environment, with 53 per cent believing the UK is 'on the wrong track', and only 34 per cent agreeing that the country is 'heading in the right direction'.

Private industry and Government combined are seen as most to blame for creating environmental problems.

However, an increasing number of people in the UK are assuming personal responsibility and looking forward, one in five say industry should be responsible for initiating environmental change.

The research also found the following.

* A massive 94 per cent of Britons think products - especially their food purchases and groceries - are over packaged.

* In an effort to reduce waste, half of them are choosing products that use less packaging or recycled packaging.

* Six out of 10 say they now avoid plastic bags when shopping for groceries.

* Three-quarters of consumers say that environmental buzzwords including 'recyclable', 'renewable' and 'sustainable' will have a strong impact on their intent to buy.

* One in three consumers is willing to spend more on green products.

The survey reveals a preoccupation with the state of the economy - with almost two-thirds of the public (65 per cent) rating the economy their prime concern.

Despite these concerns, British consumers' desire to make an environmental contribution remains strong: 80 per cent plan to spend as much or more on green products and services this year as they did last.

Perhaps because of its increasingly visible product waste and recycling issues, it was the mobile phone category that fared the worst in the survey - with seven leading brands in the bottom 10 of the rankings.

Travel - and particularly airline travel, with its now well-known issues on carbon emission - is the second-worst rated category.

Methodology: Penn, Schoen and Berland Associates conducted 1,546 online interviews among UK citizens on 17-20 April 2008.

The margin of error for the sample is +/- 2.49 per cent.

Respondents were screened to include only individuals aged 18 and over and respondents rated only those brands with which they were familiar.

Cohn and Wolfe is a strategic marketing public relations agency dedicated to creating, building and protecting the world's most prolific brands.

With offices in North America, Europe and Asia, the agency creates and implements powerful communications programmes that help clients build their brands and their bottom lines.

The core areas of expertise include consumer, healthcare, technology and corporate communications.

Cohn and Wolfe ranks number one by clients for creativity, media placement, client service, senior management and strategic counsel.

Cohn and Wolfe also consistently ranks among the top "Best Agencies to Work For" in an annual, industry-wide employee survey.

Landor Associates is one of the world's leading strategic brand and design consultancies.

Founded by Walter Landor in 1941, Landor pioneered many of the research, design and consulting methods that are now standard in the branding industry.

Partnering with clients, Landor drives business transformation and performance by creating brands that are more innovative, progressive and dynamic than their competitors.

Landor's holistic approach to branding is a balance of rigorous, business-driven thinking and exceptional creativity.

Its work spans the full breadth of branding services, including brand research and valuation, brand positioning and architecture, naming and writing, corporate identity and consumer packaging design, branded experience, brand equity management, brand engagement and digital branding.

With 24 offices in 18 countries, Landor's current and past clients include some of the world's most powerful brands, including BP, Cathay Pacific, Citi, Danone, Delta, Diageo, Emaar Properties, FedEx, Frito-Lay, the City of Hong Kong, HSBC, LG Group, Marriott Hotels and Resorts, Microsoft, Procter and Gamble and PepsiCo.

Landor is part of WPP, one of the world's largest global communications services companies.

Penn, Schoen and Berland Associates (PSB) is one of the leading providers of innovative research-based strategies for corporations, government leaders and political campaigns around the world.

Founded in 1975, PSB has offices in Washington, DC, New York, London, Denver and Seattle, and is part of the WPP Group, a multinational communications and consulting company that includes the largest group of research companies in the world.

PSB brings an extensive network and unique knowledge base to bear on communications issues.

PSB uses experience and global reach to deliver unrivaled business and political insights.

PSB executes polling and message testing services in over 70 countries for Fortune500 companies and major political campaigns to develop brand positioning, guide successful advertising campaigns, generate favourable publicity, and advise in crisis management decisions.

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