Beko has uncovered that there is a strong belief in making a difference to the future of our planet.
The manufacturer has carried out a Europe-wide survey on people’s attitudes and concerns about sustainability and the awareness of their individual effects on the environment.
It found that 88 per cent of UK respondents feel it is their personal responsibility to make a difference, either by minimising waste, water or energy use in their daily lives. The number of people thinking it is down to others to make an impact, such as the Government or businesses, or who think that they can’t make a difference, is negligible.
The study, which was announced at Beko’s online showcase of eco-friendly home appliances, discovered that human environmental damage is perceived as the most critical threat to a sustainable planet by all respondents, followed by the plastic issue, then infectious diseases – which may not have even made the list if these questions were asked two years ago. Extreme weather comes next, followed by natural disasters, natural resource crisis, biodiversity loss, food waste and lastly water stress.
Recycling is found to be the most popular way that people are practising sustainability at home. Interestingly, this activity scores significantly higher in the UK market (at over 80 per cent) compared to all others.
When asked what else they could do to protect the planet, respondents list in order of effectiveness: buying sustainable products, fighting food waste, reducing air travel and eating less meat. Energy and food are the top two important categories where using environmentally friendly products is more important, with home appliances coming next.
The main obstacle to living more sustainably at home is found to be the perception of high prices of sustainable products in all countries. While over three-quarters of Brits agree on the importance of purchasing sustainable home appliances that have a meaningful positive impact on our planet.
Teresa Arbuckle, Beko Managing Director, UK and Ireland, said: “Our research showed us that we are absolutely aligned with our customers on our sustainability goals. It’s encouraging that people want to be doing the right thing for the environment and believe that their actions can make an impact. Price itself has a significant impact on buying behaviour.
“At Beko, we are passionate about democratising technology, making it affordable and ensuring that as many as possible have access to it. We strive to reduce human environmental damage through developing high-performance, durable, affordable home appliances that are also eco-friendly.
“Beko’s brand purpose is empowering future generations to live healthier lives – which is only possible by living more sustainably and working towards a healthier planet. All of our actions and every product we use has an impact on nature. So beyond this product portfolio, we are eager to adapt our existing technologies to make all our appliances more environmentally friendly too. For Beko, this is only the beginning.”
