Most Brits Are Confused About Sustainability Language

According to the findings of a recent survey, the general public of the UK has become increasingly confused by sustainability language. Kevin Loewen, Applied Behavior Analyst and Arboreal Advocate driving sustainability, explains why this might be the case: 

The British population is ignoring sustainability efforts and the accomplishments of these initiatives.  But, it’s not so cut and dry, explains a Semantics of Sustainability survey led by Brands2Life.  Brits aren’t choosing to ignore sustainability — they simply do not understand it.  But how could this be and why is this the case?

According to a recent survey, the UK general public simply doesn’t understand the language of sustainability.  Green terminology particularly misunderstood by the public in the UK include terms like ‘net zero’ and ‘decarbonization.’  While Arboreal Advocate Kevin Loewen understands these terms in and out, he is an expert in the field of sustainability.  His expertise in this arena is what has equipped him with firsthand knowledge of the green terms; making such concepts commonplace in his work.  But the general public, who only embrace sustainability passively, are in the dark here.  And Loewen can understand why.

Terms like ‘eco-friendly’ and ‘recycling’ may be more easily understood, though with some difficulty.  Kevin Loewen believes that this could be due to the popular longterm presence of these terms in sustainability conversations.  While these might seem like great terms to drive inspiration for increasing sustainability efforts — that’s not what’s actually happening in the UK.

A third of consumers responding to the survey explained that they often ignore what brands have to say about sustainability — simply because they don’t understand the language.  Imagine that?  This is a critical failure in promoting sustainability, in Kevin Loewen’s view.  If more simplified language is utilized to communicate these concepts, more British consumers may embrace sustainability.  But we can’t know until we do away with industry specific terms like ‘circularity.’