Nine out of 10 people in UK believe sustainability is vital

June 29, 2021

The majority of people in the UK (88%) feel a personal responsibility to help the environment, according to a recent survey by Beko.

The home appliance brand ran a survey across the UK, and some of its other major European markets, such as like Italy, France and Germany, to see what the general public felt was important in terms of sustainability. 

The survey revealed that the majority of people have implemented eco practices in their everyday lives, including minimising waste, water or energy use. Others said they were trying to help the planet by buying sustainable products, fighting food waste, reducing air travel and eating less meat.

Human environmental damage was the most critical threat to the planet, according to the survey – followed by plastic waste, infectious diseases, natural disasters, natural resource crisis, biodiversity loss, food waste and water stress.

The UK was seen to value recycling more than all of the other countries. In the survey, 80% of people practised recycling in their daily lives, closely followed by Italy at 78% and then Germany at 66%.

After this research, Beko has tackled some of its customers’ concerns by setting environmental targets – such as achieving zero emissions by 2050, and releasing a new range of eco-friendly appliance that are made from recycled plastic and even fishing nets. The new appliances are set at an affordable price point to help with the main hurdle of people not buying sustainable products, which is that they are often more expensive.

Teresa Arbuckle, managing director of Beko 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. By making sustainability a business model and integrating it into everything we do, we strive to reduce human environmental damage through developing high-performance, durable, affordable home appliances that are also eco-friendly.”

She added: “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.”