Increased media and activist attention on the implications of climate change are shaping consumers’ perceptions of and attitudes to environmental sustainability.
Global consultancy Forrester forecasts cumulative global green market revolution spend will total $326 trillion from 2023 to 2050.
“A year ago, we predicted that the number of green consumers would stay constant in 2024, despite climate chaos and backlash,” said Thomas Husson, VP, principal analyst.
“Despite evidence of accelerated weather-related disasters and a desire among many consumers to act sustainably, we predicted that inflation and the cost of living would heavily influence buying decisions.
“New Forrester data bears this out, showing that the share of ‘Active Green’ consumers — those who pay close attention to companies’ impact on the environment and overwhelmingly choose eco-friendly items over low-cost or convenient ones — has held close to steady (it’s down 1–2 percentage points in the markets we surveyed).”
Consumers’ attitudes and behaviors around environmental sustainability vary. Some seek out information on green products and prefer to buy them. Others continue to value price and convenience over sustainability.
Forrester’s Green Consumer Segmentation For 2025 report groups consumers into four segments:
Active Greens are environmentally conscious consumers. This group represents less than one in five online adults in Australia (13%), the US (13%), and Europe-5 (19%).
Convenient Greens value convenience over the environment. They would like to understand more about how their purchases impact the environment, but half say reducing their environmental impact is too much work. They want to do what’s best for the planet, but convenience and cost are more important.
Dormant Greens don’t see the environment as an important purchase criterion. Dormant Greens make up about two in five online adults in Europe-5 (38%), Australia (35%), and the US (35%). When companies give them an eco-friendly option, they usually select it.
Non-Greens don’t consider themselves environmentally conscious. The share of Non-Greens is higher in the US (23%) and Australia (24%) than in Europe-5 (16%). Non-Greens value low-cost and convenient products the most and they are the least concerned about the impact of climate change on society.
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