Nearly 65% Thai consumers believe companies should prioritise environmental protection over profits
A new report published by Sandpiper reveals that 65% of Thailand consumers believe that companies should be prioritising environmental protection over profits, with 41% believing governments should do the same.
Sandpiper’s 2022 Consumer Expectations Index for Asia Pacific looks at the expectations consumers have of public and private sector organisations and their leaders around sustainability issues. It is based on a survey of 6,000 consumers across 11 markets in the region.
Consumers See Themselves as Part of the Solution and the Problem
Consumers in Thailand ranked governments (92%) as being the most responsible for solving sustainability issues, with publicly listed companies ranked second (89%), ahead of NGOs (84%) and private companies (83%).
This was also reflected in responses around which individuals have the most power in relation to sustainability issues with 53% ranking Heads of State as being the most powerful, followed by Government Ministers at 23%, Consumers themselves at 9%, and CEOs at 4%.
However, while consumers in Thailand believe they are making the strongest contribution to environmental sustainability (18%), they see the government as the greatest underperformer (38%).
Climate Change No Longer a Debate
The research reveals that an overwhelming 99% of consumers in Thailand believe climate change is a reality, with just a very small minority (1%) saying otherwise. This is despite only 44% of Thai consumers saying they have a strong understanding of climate change.
When asked about their feelings around climate change, the top emotions consumers feel are concern (47%) frustration (19%), satisfied (16%) with a further 13% saying they feel guilty that they are not personally doing enough to help address it.
Selected Sectors and Issues in the Spotlight
People in Thailand are among the most concerned regionally about poverty (58%), unemployment (48%), climate change (47%), and ocean pollution (47%) in this year’s survey.
Looking specifically at sectors, more than 1 in 10 consumers see five sectors as irresponsible or non-compliant when it comes to regulation, the worst performing sectors are: mining (19%), government and public service (13%), NGOs (12%), education (10%) and construction and engineering (10%).
Language Matters
While 88% of consumers surveyed in Thailand say they have at least an average understanding of what sustainability means, only 39% have a strong understanding of it. Fewer also have an average level of understanding of more technical terms including Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) at 85%, Environmental, Social & Governance (ESG) at 80% - showing that talking to consumers about these issues in everyday, non-technical language is important.
While the underlying issues that are sought to be addressed by the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are of wide concern, only 68% of consumers in Thailand have heard of them.
Emma Smith, CEO, Sandpiper said: “As global sustainability challenges continue to grow, we see increasing expectations on all organisations and individuals to act. While governments are shouldering the weight of solving sustainability challenges, increasingly consumers see both private companies and themselves as critical to solutions and they have a growing appetite to learn more and be involved. While understanding of more technical areas of sustainability remains low, organisations should be preparing for consumer knowledge and scrutiny to increase in the coming years as interest grows across every age group and demographic.”
