Consumers Are Demanding And Willing To Pay More For Sustainable Kitchen Materials

A recent survey commission by bottled water producer Core Hydration found that many consumers are demanding and willing to pay more for products that are made from recycled materials. When it comes to kitchen materials, consumers are not only becoming more concerned about the materials that they use for things like cooking, baking and food storage, but also for the materials that are used to build the kitchen itself. The survey found that when it comes to kitchens, one of the main concerns for many consumers is plastic use.

Over the past five years, there has been a more than seventy percent rise in online searches for sustainable goods around the world. Consumers are now engaging with sustainable companies in ways that they did not, and the trend is emerging in many different countries as a direct result of concerns around climate change. A rapidly growing number of consumers want the businesses that they shop with to be more committed to protecting natural systems.

Consumers Consider the Environmental Impact of Products

When searching for quality kitchens and other kitchen products, affordability and quality are still the main driving factors behind the majority of consumer purchases. Surveys found that the vast majority of people put quality at the top of their list when choosing which product to buy, while price comes in second. The number of people who consider environmental impact and health and safety before buying a product is also on the rise. Surveys have found that more than 70% of consumers are now actively buying environmentally friendly products compared to five years ago, and over 80% of consumers plan to buy more in the next five years. This has led to a shift in consumer buying with consumers willing to pay more for products that they can trust to be environmentally friendly. As a result, companies need to increase their commitments to being more environmentally responsible.

Consumers Consider the Impact of Plastics and Chemicals

Along with the growing awareness of consumers when it comes to how products are developed and packaged, research shows that more people are paying attention to the global climate crisis. In a survey, almost 30% of respondents said that they believe the chemical industry is the least worried about how it impacts the environment, and that they are increasingly concerned about the use of plastic packaging, including the packaging that is often used in kitchen parts and kitchen products.

What Makes a Kitchen Sustainable?

From the appliances that you choose, to the timber used to build the kitchen, the way that a kitchen is designed can have either a positive or negative effect on the environment. A kitchen can be made more sustainable during the design process by focusing on some key areas:

1.       Timber:

A sustainable kitchen design is picky about the timber that is used. Ask where the timber has come from and if it has been sourced sustainably. Recycled timber is a good choice, since it is built to last and is a good way to make sure that sustainable materials are reused rather than ending up in landfill.

2.       Reuse and Recycle:

If you are considering a new kitchen, then you can make your new one more sustainable by asking if any part of it could be reused, recycled, or renewed. Even if you do not want to keep anything from your existing kitchen, you may be able to give it to others or sell it on to be reused. For example, cabinet doors that are the right size can be easily used in another kitchen to change the look, so opt to do this rather than throwing away materials that are otherwise good quality with a lot of life left in them.

3.       Appliances:

Finally, consider the appliances and other machines that you use in your kitchen. Do they have a high energy efficiency rating? Are your kitchen taps water-efficient? Upgrading to appliances and other kitchen fixtures that are as energy- or water-efficient as possible can make a huge difference when it comes to reducing the waste of non-renewable resources.

Today, as consumers become more concerned about the planet and climate change, this is driving a demand for more sustainable and environmentally-friendly kitchen materials and designs.