Nielsen - Celebrating Earth Week 2019:
Thinking Global but Acting Local

While consumers around the world are embracing sustainability and the environment more than just one day a year, Earth Day celebrations this week unify consumers in their efforts to make a positive impact on our planet and act as responsible global citizens.

Brand Provided | By Nielsen | Published 5 years ago | About a 2 minute read

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And while being a good global citizen takes center stage during the week of Earth Day, we see consumers taking an active stance on helping the planet throughout the entire year. So how are Americans embracing an eco-friendly mindset in individual cities across the nation?

To find out, we analyzed Nielsen Scarborough data to understand how Americans 18 and older are adopting eco-friendly activities on a regular basis. We looked at an array of market behavior and spending preferences on a designated market area (DMA) basis, including purchasing eco-friendly household cleaning products, driving less, donating money and participating in energy saving programs.

When it comes to thinking global but acting local, consumers in Seattle/Tacoma, San Francisco/Oakland/San Jose (27%) are the most active buyers of eco-friendly products and services, followed by Boston (22%), and Austin, Portland and Washington, D.C. (21%).

To keep things clean and eco-friendly, consumers in San Francisco/Oakland/San Jose lead the way in terms of purchasing eco-friendly cleaning products on a regular basis. Seattle/Tacoma came in at a close second, followed by Portland, Ore.

While it’s great to purchase eco-friendly products, it often comes with the need for something to carry those purchases home in. The Golden State reigns as the DMA with the most users of cloth and reusable shopping bags. San Francisco/Oakland/San Jose, and San Diego came in first at 79%, followed by Sacramento/Stockton/Modesto at 77% and Los Angeles (74%).

San Francisco/Oakland/San Jose also came in first in electronic recycling of batteries, cell phones, and computers (62%) followed by Syracuse at 57% and Portland, Ore. (55%). Seattle/Tacoma, San Francisco/Oakland/San Jose also ranked high in usage of rechargeable batteries (31%).

Organic food buyers are most highly concentrated in San Francisco/Oakland/San Jose

(41%), with East and West Coast cities New York and Los Angeles tied at 29%. Local food buyers are most concentrated in Hawaii’s state capital of Honolulu (58%).

When getting around the green way, Portland, Ore., Salt Lake City, San Francisco/Oakland/San Jose are the leading cities where people drive less and use alternative modes of transportation.

As marketers and advertisers continue to engage eco-conscious consumers, knowing where those consumers live, understanding their habits and what’s important to them, can provide deep insights into how to reach them from an advertiser and merchandiser perspective.

METHODOLOGY The insights in this article were derived from Nielsen Scarborough surveyed responses from 212,257 adults 18+.