Biodiversity insights from Asia: Significant increase in awareness, independently verified claims important to consumers

21 May 2019 --- Asian consumers have a higher awareness of biodiversity than consumers in the UK, US or Germany, claims a new report examining the significance of biodiversity in China, Japan, South Korea and Vietnam. One major takeaway from new UEBT research is that Asian consumer awareness of biodiversity has increased over the last decade with the majority of Asian consumers feeling companies are morally obligated to positively impact biodiversity. The Asian youth demographic is also better informed about biodiversity than other age groups. The insights come ahead of China hosting the UN Summit on Biodiversity, which will define the global plan on biodiversity for the next decade, in 2020.

Most Asian consumers surveyed also said they have more faith in brands whose commitment to ethical sourcing and biodiversity issues is verified by independent organizations.

The data has been published in the 2019 UEBT Biodiversity Barometer, an ongoing set of research that has spanned more than a decade and is updated annually. The Barometer has interviewed more than 68,000 consumers over 11 years, asking what they know and understand about biodiversity and what they expect from brands. 

This year’s edition focused on consumer insights from the four Asian countries. 

Young people aged 16 to 24 are the best informed about biodiversity and in this year’s Asia surveys, most young consumers said buying products that respect people and biodiversity makes them feel good (compared to 55+ years old). This is particularly true in China, where the vast majority of young people experience this “feel-good factor.” 

Asian youth are also seeking concrete actions from companies, with most saying that they “would like companies to inform me about the concrete actions they take to ensure they respect biodiversity and people when they source the natural ingredients use.”

“We felt the time was right to dive deeper into consumers’ insights from Asia. In 2020, China will host the UN Summit on Biodiversity, which will define the global plan on biodiversity for the next decade. Chinese leadership in this major global event underscores the role that Asia has in protecting the world's biodiversity. This also means there is an opportunity for business to take concrete action to position their brands in Asian markets as leaders in sourcing with respect for people and biodiversity,” says Rik Kutsch Lojenga, BT's Executive Director and a leading global expert on ethical sourcing.

“In line with our 2020 biodiversity targets, we see consumer awareness rising every year, including in Asia,” adds Dr. Cristiana Paşca Palmer, Executive Secretary of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity. “Businesses must embrace conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity in response to consumer expectations on biodiversity, and assure a livable future for all.”

The issue of biodiversity has been in the spotlight recently. It has a growing significance to the food and beverage industry in terms of raw materials and a sustainable supply chain that will keep pace with the world’s population increases and maintain food security. 

There has been much debate in recent months about the industry helping to mitigate the loss of biodiversity. Many of the vital resources and services, which are underpinned by biodiversity, are provided by ecosystems that are facing unprecedented risks as laid out in a recently published hard-hitting UN biodiversity report.

Protecting biodiversity is also becoming a key part of many brands’ sustainability strategies with much marketing work directed towards getting the message out to consumers that a company and/or brand cares about biodiversity issues. This often includes how to mitigate the rapid onset of climate change and trying to minimize the impact ingredients and products have on the environment and people. 

“One of the four principles in our program is: ‘Ensuring any adverse effects on biodiversity from agricultural activities are minimized and positive contributions are made where possible,” a Unilever spokesperson recently told FoodIngredientsFirst.

The UN biodiversity report follows last October’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report which continues to have a significant impact on the climate change debate worldwide. The study says that a rise of more than 1.5°C is risking the plant’s livability and this could be exceeded by 2030 unless drastic steps are taken now. Limiting global warming to 1.5°C would require rapid, far-reaching and unprecedented changes in all aspects of society.

As emerged previously in Western countries surveyed, UEBT’s research consumers have a higher awareness of biodiversity and think it’s important, but they have lower confidence that companies are protecting biodiversity. In the 2019 report, South Korea and Japan showed 45 percent confidence rates, somewhat in line with the findings in Western countries. Almost a quarter of Japanese respondents (24 percent) said they do not know if companies pay serious enough attention to biodiversity.

However, consumer confidence that companies are having a positive impact on biodiversity is much higher in Vietnam and China, with the majority of those surveyed holding confidence in this. Surveyed consumers in all countries have more faith in companies whose sourcing practices are verified.

“This latest Biodiversity Barometer report continues to encourage businesses to seize the opportunities offered by growing consumer awareness of biodiversity, including increasingly in Asian markets,” concludes Dr. Paşca Palmer.

By Gaynor Selby