Sustainability and ethics have grown in importance to European consumers over the past five years, according to GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company.

The company’s latest report: “TrendSights Analysis: Environmental Responsibility – Meeting consumers’ environmentally conscious expectations” confirms that in 2016, 71% of European consumers considered living an ethical or sustainable lifestyle to be very important or important in creating a feeling of wellbeing or wellness. This was a full seven percentage higher than in 2011.

A spokesperson from the GlobalData Analysts team commented: “Public awareness of sustainability issues has been heavily influenced by an explosion in media coverage in recent years. Technological advancements and internet utilization have also made it significantly easier for consumers to stay up to date with major issues including global warming and poverty.”