Engaging Tomorrow’s Consumer Industry Agenda

The report argues that sustainability needs a 'makeover' to move away from a narrative of sacrifice toward one of value and aspiration. It identifies millennials, especially those in urban Asia, as the most influential and receptive consumer segment for sustainable growth. To capture this opportunity, the report recommends six strategies: building a consumer case for sustainability, engaging marketers, integrating sustainability into R&D, creating digital collaboration platforms, activating employee advocates, and quantifying outcomes.

• Consumers often perceive sustainability as confusing, irrelevant, or untrustworthy. A survey in the European Union found that 48% of respondents felt green product labels did not help identify genuinely environmentally friendly products, while only 44% of US consumers trust companies' green claims.
• Barriers to sustainable purchasing include high costs, perceived lower quality, and lack of availability. In the US, 42% of consumers cited expense as a deterrent, 33% doubted effectiveness or quality, and 23% found sustainable products difficult to find.
• Millennials (born 1981-1995) represent a critical opportunity for sustainable engagement due to their growing wealth and influence. They are projected to be the world's wealthiest generation, with US millennials expected to earn up to US$ 3.4 trillion annually by 2018.
• Urban Asian millennials, particularly in China and India, are the most significant target for sustainable consumption. By 2030, 66% of the global middle class and 59% of global middle-class spending (US$ 32.6 trillion) will be in the Asia-Pacific region.
• Millennials are highly digital and rely heavily on social networks and personal circles for purchasing decisions. They are more likely than non-millennials to explore brands on social networks (53% vs 37%) and value advice from friends and family more than other generations.
• Companies can drive sustainable consumption through six specific strategies: strengthening the consumer case, engaging marketers to change the language of sustainability, integrating sustainability into R&D (such as closed-loop thinking), creating digital collaboration platforms, using employees as advocates, and quantifying outcomes.
• There is a gap between corporate sustainability commitments and the empowerment of brand managers. A survey of 237 marketers indicated that while most are aware of corporate plans, many do not feel responsible for prioritizing sustainability, citing a lack of performance metrics and fear of reduced profit margins.

APA

World Economic Forum (2013). Engaging Tomorrow’s Consumer Industry Agenda. http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_RC_EngagingTomorrowsConsumer_Report_2013.pdf

Chicago

World Economic Forum. Engaging Tomorrow’s Consumer Industry Agenda. 2013. http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_RC_EngagingTomorrowsConsumer_Report_2013.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Economic Forum |title=Engaging Tomorrow’s Consumer Industry Agenda |date=January 2013 |url=http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_RC_EngagingTomorrowsConsumer_Report_2013.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldeconomicforum2013engaging, author = {{World Economic Forum}}, title = {{Engaging Tomorrow’s Consumer Industry Agenda}}, institution = {World Economic Forum}, year = {2013}, month = jan, url = {http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_RC_EngagingTomorrowsConsumer_Report_2013.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }