Study reveals climate language barrier

New research has unveiled a worryingly low understanding of some of the most common terms businesses use when communicating about sustainability. 

The study – conducted by insights firm Trajectory and communications agency Fleet Street – reveals that just 11% of consumers feel they have a thorough understanding of the term 'carbon offsetting', despite it being one of the primary methods businesses rely on to achieve their net zero goals. 

Another term that has been widely adopted by brands, 'circular economy', is understood by staggeringly few, with just 4% of consumers polled claiming to be confident in defining it, indicating how there is a clear language barrier between businesses and consumers. 

Furthermore, 25% of consumers feel they have a thorough understanding of the term 'green', while 26% can confidently define 'sustainability' and 32% 'organic'. 

Even some of the most commonly used terms are completely understood by worryingly few customers, with only 35% confident of being able to define the term 'environmentally friendly, 40% 'locally grown/seasonal', 55% 'recycling' and 59% 'net zero'. 

Despite widespread media coverage and recent government legislation banning the use of 'single-use plastics', only 47% of consumers are confident in defining what that term means, indicating a further level of disconnect between companies and consumers. 

The analysis also indicates that younger age groups (18–24-year-olds) are more confident when it comes to understanding what these key terms mean. For example, the word 'sustainability was understood by 24% more consumers from the 18–24-year-old age group compared to consumers aged 65+, suggesting that younger people are more engaged with the issue. 

'Communication is key'

Mark Stretton, co-founder of Fleet Street, comments: "While many businesses and brands are taking critical action to tackle the environmental crisis, it is clear from this research that communication is key and much more work needs to be done to engage consumers, starting with the language used – as a significant amount of it doesn't appear to mean much to them.

"The lack of understanding around what many businesses would probably consider to be standard terms, such as net zero and environmentally friendly, is striking, and indicates a level of disconnect between brands and consumers. Many businesses are investing very heavily in sustainability, setting ambitious objectives in the process, but there is a big piece missing; there's massive work to be done on the language used, and the more consumers understand, the more likely they are to positively engage with, and respond to what is clearly an enormous, generational issue. "

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