With two-thirds of people saying that tackling waste is a key issue, why are businesses not yet laser-focused on innovating solutions to minimise waste or generate value from its use?

As our world keeps piling up with unwanted materials and landfill mountains soar, we find ourselves drowning in rubbish. Physically there is no more room for waste; yet, by 2050, worldwide waste generation is expected to increase by around 70%. Emotionally, consumers have no more headspace for the devastating environmental and social impacts of waste – Kantar’s Sustainability Sector Index (SSI) 2023 reveals around 52% report seeing or hearing false or misleading information about the sustainable actions of brands and half have bought less of, or stopped buying certain products or services, because of their negative social, or environmental impact. With two-thirds of people surveyed in the Sustainability Sector Index saying that tackling waste is a key issue, then why are businesses not yet laser-focused on innovating solutions to minimise waste or generate value from its use?

In fact, the gap between virtue signalling and action remains stubbornly high. Kantar’s Sustainability Sector Index reveals over two in five global shoppers are interested in buying refillable products (43%), yet just over one in five regularly do so (13%). It’s why, at Kantar, we explored the principles that will help resolve the great waste challenge and identified how businesses can help consumers move from single-use disposables to sustainable refillables in our thought leadership report: Designing for a Waste-Free Future. But, bringing this to life for brands is often no mean feat, as many that have walked this path have discovered to their cost. Radical internal systems changes are required, as is the ability to convince people to bridge the consumer Value-Action Gap between intent to behave sustainably and making this a reality.