UK Food and Grocery Sustainability Benchmark 2022: Ecover Leads, Gen Z Still Sceptical

Between April and August 2022, Glow collected consumer opinions on the social and environmental responsibility of 102 UK food and grocery brands from a nationally representative sample of over 16,000 UK adults. The result is the first comprehensive sustainability benchmark for the UK F&G market.

The UK F&G industry ranks third of 20 industries assessed for social and environmental responsibility, 55% above the all-industry average. Only pharmacies and supermarkets rank higher. Social media platforms rank last, consistent with findings across every market measured.

The average SRS for UK F&G brands is 38. The top brands score twice as highly as the bottom brands. Cleaning products dominate the leader board: Ecover holds the top position with an SRS 57% above the industry average, followed by Method at #2. Beyond Meat claims the #3 position in plant-based meat, while Who Gives A Crap ranks #6 at 33% above average.

1 in 4 UK consumers say they have switched food and grocery brands in the past 12 months based on sustainability perceptions. Consumers switching into the top 10 brands are doing so at twice the rate of the average across all tracked brands.

The scepticism discount is consistent: Gen Z and Boomers rate even leading brands 16% lower than other generations. Gen Z’s scepticism is a high-standards response: these consumers know brands can claim almost anything and want evidence of specificity before they award credit. Boomers show the lowest patience for bottom-tier brands, giving the lowest-scoring brands a -9 differential versus other age groups. Neither cohort is disengaged. Both are harder to convince.

The top 20 UK brands span a range of ESG commitment types: environmental programs, social initiatives (Dove’s Real Beauty), governance commitments (transparency, supplier welfare). The data does not reward a single type of ESG focus. It rewards coherence, specificity, and legibility to a consumer audience.