Millennials Are More Likely to Shop Eco-Friendly, New Study Finds

A bit of good news to kick off your 2018: New data has found that Americans — specifically millennials, who control the future of the consumer market — don't want to be caught dead shopping from any company that harms the planet.

The findings come from The Shelton Group, which helps companies sell products by marketing their sustainability practices, According to founder Suzanne Shelton, they have been polling Americans for 12 years to help understand their feelings about sustainability — an interest in which they have seen a large growth spike starting three years ago. 

According to their latest "Eco Pulse" trending data, they've found that 90% of millennials will buy from a brand whose social and environmental practices they trust, and 95% of them will recommend that brand to a friend. Considering millennials spend a $600 billion per year — a figure that's expected to grow to $1.4 trillion, which is 30% of the market — those numbers have a huge significance for brands.

For those same reasons, millennials named Patagonia, Whole Foods, Tesla, and The Honest Company as some of their most-trusted brands — all of which have notable social or environmental practices. Even Walmart made the list for its recent sustainability initiatives.

In fashion, we've seen luxury groups like Kering working toward a greener future, following the leads of one of its flagship sustainable brands, Stella McCartney. Just this year, Gucci (also owned by Kering) announced that it would be going fur-free — to much fanfare in the industry.

Basically, millennials want to see the companies they shop with caring about where the planet is headed. If brands seek to tap into their loyalty (and wallets), it's time they get on board, too.