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Bain: Global Sustainability Concern Jumps to 85%, Ending Three-Year Slide
Consumer concern about environmental sustainability climbed to 85% worldwide, up from 79% in 2025 and reversing a three-year decline, according to a Bain & Company study. Younger shoppers remain the most anxious, but most consumers still cannot tell which of two products is the greener option.
The study surveyed consumers in the United States, the United Kingdom, Italy, Brazil and Indonesia. Extreme weather was named as the leading driver of that concern, with 65% of respondents saying their worry had intensified over the past two years.
Concern runs highest in emerging markets. Indonesia registered 99% and Brazil 90%, while the United Kingdom at 74% and the United States at 77% lagged behind those levels.
The generational gap persists without being absolute. Gen Z respondents came in at 92%, the most worried group, but 77% of baby boomers also said they were concerned, indicating the sentiment stretches across age brackets.
Household behaviour has shifted alongside the attitude. Bain found 83% of consumers have adopted three or more sustainable habits, up from 73% in 2023. Limiting home energy use, cited by 59%, and recycling, at 56%, topped the list, with both habits rising roughly 10 percentage points from 2025.
Even so, the report found most consumers still struggle to identify the more sustainable option when comparing products side by side.