The findings highlight a growing opportunity for manufacturers around the globe to capitalise on demand for products that claim to offer some sustainable benefits over their rivals.
IRI surveyed the attitudes of 22,000 US shoppers to organic, eco-friendly produced and packaged goods and fair treatment of employees. About half of the respondents to the survey said they considered at least one of these factors when making a purchase.
A further one fifth of the respondents were found by the IRI survey to be "sustainability driven", committing themselves to requiring at least two factors relating to how green, organic or ethically manufactured a product is.
IRI's chief marketing officer, Andrew Salzman said the findings signalled a major change in how consumer packaged goods are produced, as segments like fair trade and organic move out of niche markets and into the mainstream.
"Our survey indicates that consumers are focused more and more on the social and environmental impact of their consumer packaged goods purchases," he stated. "[This has led to] a viable and growing US market for sustainable products and packaging with the potential to mirror well-developed markets in Europe and Japan."
Organic growth
According to IRI, the organic segment is becoming particularly important to consumers achieving significant growth in both non-food and food and beverage categories.
The report particularly highlighted the increasing number of big players in the personal care market that are tapping into the trend, referencing in particular the recent acquisition of Burt's Bees by Clorox, and Colgate Palmolive's majority stake in Tom's of Maine.
Eco-friendly
The survey also concluded that 30 percent of participants looked for eco-friendly products and packaging when selecting brands.
In addition to this demand, a quarter of the 22,000 respondents said they favored manufacturers that focused both on fair trade practices and a green focus.
The increased focus on sustainability, as well as being product wide, is also being seen in all age groups. IRI claims that this dismisses the assumption that growing sales of organic, fair trade and green products are a "youth-oriented phenomenon".
"Consumers aged 55 and older are the real driving force behind this expansion," stated Salzman. "Generally, with the time to seek out specialty items and the resources to afford premium priced products, aging consumers are a critical target market today.
However, he added that as manufacturers move to expand their offerings for sustainable goods, growth in all consumer groups could be expected.
In the short term though, IRI said that strongest growth would be seen in markets already popular with sustainability-driven consumers like skin care, and beverage goods such as coffee, wines and spirits.
Scepticism surrounds sustainable marketing
However, the report also highlights that marketing products as sustainable can pose challenges to companies as consumers are often sceptical of such claims.
According to the report a high proportion of consumers do not believe environmental claims and are looking for more information to help them make eco-friendly choices.
The IRI advise companies wishing to take advantage of the sustainability marketing to obtain endorsement from well known organisations, such as EcoLogo or Green Seal, and to be more specific in marketing claims avoiding use of the general term sustainable if possible.
