New study finds more consumers than ever are looking for sustainable products


An "eco-awakening" is taking place around the globe, the World Wildlife Fund says, with more people taking interest in the environment and steps they can take to protect it.
A new WWF study conducted by the Economist Intelligence Unit looked at measures like Google search trends, Twitter mentions, and green campaigns in 54 countries covering 27 languages, and found that over the last five years, there has been a "dramatic rise" in awareness and concern for the environment. Public interest in nature has gone up 16 percent, the study says, and Twitter discussions on biodiversity and similar topics rose 65 percent from 2016 to 2020.
Worldwide, there has been a 71 percent increase in popularity for sustainable goods, as more and more online shoppers search for products using the terms "sustainable," "biodegradable," and "ecological." "Global concern for the future of our planet is not just about saving individual species or landscapes," Kate Norgrove, WWF's executive director of advocacy and campaigns, said. "It's about our very survival."
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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
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