2024
9
Germany Sustainability in BPC Market Report 2024
2024-10-30T20:01:29+00:00
REP8F5CE5A3_BC28_4F63_8845_EF19578DB171
2195
177005
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Report
en_GB
Sustainability is a topic that permeates every German's life. Financial pressures put a strain on consumers, and subsequently, purchases of eco-friendly products have declined. Still, a significant…

Germany Sustainability in BPC Market Report 2024

£ 2,195 (Excl.Tax)

Report Summary

Sustainability is a topic that permeates every German’s life. Financial pressures put a strain on consumers, and subsequently, purchases of eco-friendly products have declined. Still, a significant 67% of Germansregard the environment with the same level of priority as they did before the cost-of-living crisis.

There is a strong presence of ‘eco-warriors’ in BPC. Consumers who already engage in eco-friendly behaviours are more likely to purchase more eco-friendly products, enabling brands to help consumers overcome initial barriers for an easier adoption of eco-friendly behaviours.

Brands can focus on parents (who are highly engaged and prioritise eco-friendly products because of their children) and tech-savvy consumers with a gamification approach to sustainability.

However, efficacy still trumps sustainability: 94% of consumers who prioritise the efficacy of BPC products over eco-friendliness have purchased regular products. Brands can effectively communicate their eco-friendly product benefits by gradually introducing familiar ingredients or features alongside sustainable ones or go down a personalised product route to ease consumer scepticism.

In order to engage the most consumers with eco-friendly products, brands can focus on holistic approaches and offer consumers easy ways to engage with sustainability.

This report looks at the following areas:

  • The purchase of BPC products, with the purchase of eco-friendly products declining overall and as consumers age
  • The frequency of purchase, with most consumers buying the same amount of eco-friendly BPC products as in the last 12 months
  • The appeal of information on eco-friendliness on packaging, with short written product claims and a rating scale coming out on top
  • Behaviours relating to knowledge about sustainability, with parents being very engaged
  • Behaviours relating to preferences around eco-friendly products, with efficacy being key
  • Attitudes towards sustainable ingredients and packaging, with recycled materials being an expectation
  • Attitudes towards reducing waste, with reducing product usage being rated highly
  • Attitudes towards ethical business practices, with a focus on greenwashing
  • Launch activity and innovation

Sustainability has become a consumer expectation. To stand out, brands can focus on personalisation, efficacy and facilitating easy adoption of eco-friendly habits.

Henrike Philipp, Research Analyst

Table of Contents

  1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

    • The five year outlook for sustainability in BPC
    • Market context
    • Adhere to the legal requirements of the European Green Deal
    • Opportunities
    • Re-envision premium packaging by catering to consumers' thirst for information
    • Channel efficacy into personalisation to boost eco-friendly products
    • Gamify sustainability to make the most of QR codes
    • Encourage hesitant consumers to do the 'next best thing'
    • Approach sustainability from a holistic point of view
  2. MARKET DRIVERS

    • The German economy
    • 2024 remains challenging
    • Graph 1: key economic data, in real terms, 2019-25
    • The inflation rate is bouncing back to more conventional levels
    • Inflation is still the key factor affecting consumers' finances…
    • …confidence and expenditure
    • Graph 2: financial confidence index, 2022-24
    • The impact of the economy on sustainability in BPC
    • Consider the EU Green Deal and get ahead of new regulations…
    • …spanning microplastic…
    • …and changes to packaging
    • Adapt to social media trends
    • Incorporate AI to visualise sustainable efforts
    • Green political movements are seeing a slowdown across Europe
  3. WHAT CONSUMERS WANT AND WHY

    • Purchase of eco-friendly products
    • Fewer consumers buy eco-friendly products
    • Graph 3: purchase of eco-friendly products, 2022 vs 2024
    • SBS has seen the biggest reduction out of all categories
    • Women tend to exhibit more eco-friendly purchases
    • Eco-friendly purchases decline as consumers age
    • Graph 4: purchase of regular vs eco-friendly BPC products, by age, 2024
    • Eco-friendly fragrances and makeup have seen an uptick in purchases
    • Fragrances and makeup can score with eco-friendly packaging
    • Frequency of purchase
    • Most Germans claim to have bought the same amount of eco-friendly BPC products
    • The threshold to eco-friendliness is smaller for people who already buy eco-friendly products
    • Motivate older consumers to change their behaviour
    • Graph 5: frequency of purchase of eco-friendly beauty/grooming products, by age, 2024
    • Price is still an issue for sustainability
    • Support consumers to make their beauty routine more eco-friendly
    • Graph 6: agreement with "I could do more to make my beauty/grooming routine more eco-friendly", 2024
    • Encourage consumers to just do their best rather than strive for excellence
    • The appeal of eco-friendliness information on product packaging
    • Details on product packaging are important to consumers
    • Premium brands can go against the current with new packaging strategies
    • Consumers seek support on pack when looking for sustainability information
    • Graph 7: appeal of eco-friendliness information on packaging, 2024
    • Direct short written product claims towards women over 55
    • Use familiarity with Nutri-Score in approaches to sustainability rating scales in beauty
    • Demystify certification labels to increase engagement
    • Most consumers hesitate to use QR codes
    • Target parents with detailed information on sustainability
    • Knowledge about sustainability
    • Parents are familiar with ingredients
    • Graph 8: behaviours towards sustainability in BPC, 2024
    • Transform the 'clean beauty' trend to tap into personal and planetary health
    • QR codes could help give additional information for consumers who want to do DIY instead of buying a product
    • Target parents with kits to make eco-friendly products at home
    • Preferences
    • Change the perception that eco-friendly products don't smell good
    • Graph 9: agreement with "It's more important to me that a beauty/grooming product smells good than how eco-friendly it is", 2024
    • Efficacy is what leads people to regular products…
    • …meaning eco-friendly brands must prove their efficacy
    • Sustainable ingredients and packaging
    • Plant-based is seen as eco-friendly by consumers
    • Graph 10: attitudes towards sustainability relating to eco-friendliness, 2024
    • Go beyond recycled materials to stand out from the crowd
    • Reduce packaging with concentrates, recycled plastic and alternative formats
    • Reducing waste
    • Consumers consider the reduction of packaging to be sustainable
    • Graph 11: attitudes towards sustainability relating to reducing waste, 2024
    • A reduction of product usage is important to consumers across ages
    • Highlight the efficacy of personalised products to appeal to all BPC buyers
    • Target tech-savvy consumers through the gamification of sustainability
    • Push solids to gain momentum again…
    • …and focus on offering them as an alternative to reducing product usage
    • Get inspired by EU's Deep Purple project that uses biowaste for cosmetic formulations
    • Ethical business practices
    • Vegan claims are well established but still important
    • Graph 12: attitudes towards sustainability in BPC relating to ethical business practices, 2024
    • Brands can also go via the human approach
    • Greenwashing needs to be tackled, but avoid slipping into 'greenhushing'
    • Offsetting procedures are met with ambivalence
    • Graph 13: attitudes towards sustainability in BPC, 2024
    • Large brands can look to smaller brands and transparency to improve their eco-friendly image
  4. LAUNCH ACTIVITY AND INNOVATION

    • Environmental claims are still on the rise
    • Graph 14: launches with ethical/environmental claims in BPC, 2019-24
    • All categories have a strong presence of eco/ethical claims
    • Graph 15: total vs environmental/ethical launches in BPC, by category, 2023-24
    • Refills are still a hot topic, especially in colour cosmetics
    • Graph 16: launch types in colour cosmetics with refill/refillable claims, 2021-24
    • Luxury goes sustainable
    • Graph 17: launches with ethical/environmental claims, by ultimate company, 2023-24
    • A new Gucci fragrance features carbon-captured ethanol
    • Environmentally friendly packaging claims are strongest in colour cosmetics
    • Graph 18: launches with environmentally friendly packaging, by category, 2021-24
    • dm revamps its packaging to save plastic…
    • …and uses carbon dioxide recycling to create packaging
    • Use plant-based fibres for packaging
    • Consider giving back to the environment
    • Eco-friendly ink is on the rise in Europe
    • Graph 19: BPC launches with eco-friendly ink on packaging, 2020-23
    • Sell surplus products through anti-waste packages and save the environment at the same time
    • Blue beauty: focus on the impact on water resources and using algae as material
    • Ethical – human claims are on the rise
    • Advertising and marketing activity
    • Collaborate with fashion brands and events to promote sustainability
    • Don't Rebuy, Just Refill
    • Consider sustainability when launching pop-up stores
  5. APPENDIX

    • Appendix – products covered, abbreviations, consumer research methodology and language usage
    • Products covered in this Report
    • Abbreviations
    • Consumer research methodology
    • CHAID analysis
    • CHAID – tree output
    • A note on language

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