Flash Eurobarometer 367 / December 2012 – TNS Political & Social Flash Eurobarometer 367   ATTITUDES OF EUROPEANS TOWARDS BUILDING THE SINGLE MARKET FOR GREEN PRODUCTS Survey requested by Directorate-General for Environment (DG ENV) and co-ordinated by Directorate-General for Communication (DG COMM “Research and Speechwriting” Unit).  Flash Eurobarometer 367 / December 2012 – TNS Political & Social

A. Methodology FLASH EUROBAROMETER 367 Survey conducted by telephone (fixed-line and mobile phone) Fieldwork: 4 – 10 December 2012 Population: representative sample of population 15+ Coverage: 27 Member States of the EU and Croatia Number of interviews: 26,573 This survey was carried out for the European Commission (requested by the Directorate-General for Environment (DG ENV) and coordinated by the Directorate-General for Communication (“Research and Speechwriting” Unit)).

B. Key findings 1/2 A majority of respondents consider themselves “occasional” green consumers (54%). More than a quarter often buy green products (26%). Only just over half of EU citizens think that green products are easily available in shops (54%) and a similar proportion believe that it is easy to differentiate them from other products (51%). Most people are willing to consider environmental factors when making purchases, but fewer feel fully informed about these issues. Only just over half of EU citizens generally trust producers' claims about the environmental performance of their products (52%) and a majority do not trust companies' reports on their own environmental performance (54%), with only 44% trusting these reports. More than three-quarters of respondents are willing to pay more for green products if they were confident that they are truly green (77%). The behaviour change analysis suggests that actions on price and on how green products are presented in shops should be prioritised in order to change respondents’ behaviour and stimulate green consumption.

B. Key findings 2/2 Just under 80% of EU citizens would consider the environmental impact of the construction of buildings important to their purchasing decision. Many citizens say they would be willing to replace most of the meat they eat with vegetables for environmental reasons (50%). An alarming large proportion of respondents believe that it is NOT safe to consume food products after the “best before” date stated on the label (45%). More than nine out of ten respondents agree that the lifespan of products available on the market should be indicated (92%). Almost half of the respondents report that they decided not to have a faulty product repaired in the past 12 months because the repair costs were too high (47%). Across the EU, two-thirds of people (66%) would be willing to pay more for a product if its guarantee of reliability was extended to five years

1.1 Over three-quarters of EU citizens buy environmentally-friendly products (80%) Base: All respondents = 25568

1.2 Over half of the respondents generally agree that environmentally-friendly products are good value for money (55%) Base: Those who know what environmentally-friendly products are = 24458

1.4 Most EU respondents think that environmentally-friendly products are effective Base: Those who know what environmentally-friendly products are = 24458

1.6 Only just over half of EU citizens think that environmentally-friendly products are easily available in shops (54%) Base: Those who know what environmentally-friendly products are = 24458

2.1 A large majority of EU citizens support lower taxes on environmentally-raw materials and products (83%) Base: All respondents = 25568

2.2 Only a slight majority of EU citizens feel informed about the environmental impact of the products they buy and use – no changes since 2009 Base: All respondents = 25568

2.4 Environmental impact is an increasing concern for EU consumers (+2 since 2009) Base: All respondents = 25568

2.6 Most Europeans are willing to pay more for products if they are confident they are environmentally-friendly (77%) Base: All respondents = 25568

2.7 Just under 80% of EU citizens would consider the environmental impact of the construction of buildings important to their purchasing decision Base: All respondents = 25568

4.1 A majority of EU citizens do not think that the current product labels provide enough information about their environmental impact Base: All respondents = 25568

Base: All respondents = 25568 4.2 Most Europeans would like to find environmental information about a product on its label (81%) (MULTIPLE ANSWERS POSSIBLE) Base: All respondents = 25568

4.4 Almost half of EU citizens (47%) still do not trust claims made by producers about the environmental performance of their products Base: All respondents = 25568

4.6 Over half of EU citizens do not trust companies’ reports on their own environmental performance (54%) Base: All respondents = 25568

4.7 Obliging companies to publish reports on environmental performance has strong support within the European public (69%) Base: All respondents = 25568

5.1 Nearly half of EU citizens believe it is not safe to consume food after the “best before” date (45%) Base: All respondents = 25568

5.3 Many say they would be willing to replace most of the meat they eat with vegetables for environmental reasons (50%) Base: Respondents who eat meat = 24823

6.2 Support for indicating the lifespan of products is almost universal (92%) Base: All respondents = 25568

6.3 Two-thirds would be willing to pay more for a product with a guarantee of 5 years Base: All respondents = 25568

6.4 Nearly half of EU citizens have decided not to repair a faulty product because repair costs were too high (51%) Base: All respondents = 25568