A new report published by Sandpiper revealed that 60% of consumers in Malaysia believe that companies should be prioritising environmental protection over profits, with 47% believing governments should do the same.
Sandpiper’s 2022 Consumer Expectations Index for Asia Pacific looks at the expectations consumers have of public and private sector organisations and their leaders around sustainability issues. It is based on a survey of 6,000 consumers across 11 markets in the region.
Consumers See Themselves as Part of the Solution and the Problem
Consumers in Malaysia ranked governments (90%) as being the most responsible for solving sustainability issues, with publicly listed companies (83%) and consumers themselves (76%) ranked second and third, ahead of private companies (75%). This was also reflected in responses around which individuals have the most power in relation to sustainability issues, with 43% ranking Government Ministers as being the most powerful, followed by Heads of State at 31%, Consumers themselves at 7%, and CEOs at 6%.
However, while consumers in Asia Pacific believe governments are making the strongest contribution to environmental sustainability, they see themselves as the greatest underperformers.
Climate Change No Longer a Debate
The research reveals that an overwhelming 97% of consumers in Malaysia believe climate change is a reality, with just a very small minority (3%) saying otherwise. This is despite only 47% of consumers in Malaysia saying they have a strong understanding of climate change.
When asked about their feelings around climate change, the top emotions consumers feel that emerge regionally are concern (40%), frustration (21%), guilty (17%), with a further 19% saying they are satisfied the problem is being managed by government and other organisations.
Selected Sectors and Issues in the Spotlight
People in Malaysia are more concerned about unemployment (45% vs 41%) and ocean pollution than they were in 2020 (44% vs 41%).
Looking specifically at sectors, consumers see the following sectors as irresponsible or non-compliant when it comes to regulation, the worst performing sectors viewed as irresponsible or non-compliant with regulation are: mining (30%), clothing/fashion (16%), retail (15%), energy (15%), financial services (13%), and manufacturing (13%).
Language Matters
While 85% of consumers surveyed across the region say they have at least an average understanding of what sustainability means, only 47% have a strong understanding of it. Fewer also have at least an average level of understanding of more technical terms including Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) at 82%, Environmental, Social & Governance (ESG) at 74%, showing that talking to consumers about these issues in everyday, non-technical language is important.
While the underlying issues that are sought to be addressed by the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are of wide concern, only 46% of consumers in Malaysia have heard of them, among the lowest level of awareness in the region.
Emma Smith, CEO, Sandpiper said, “As global sustainability challenges continue to grow, we see increasing expectations on all organisations and individuals to act. While governments are shouldering the weight of solving sustainability challenges, increasingly consumers see both private companies and themselves as critical to solutions and they have a growing appetite to learn more and be involved. While understanding of more technical areas of sustainability remains low, organisations should be preparing for consumer knowledge and scrutiny to increase in the coming years as interest grows across every age group and demographic.”
