Almost two thirds of greeting card consumers – a whopping 65% – are now making their card purchasing decisions taking the product’s sustainability and environmental credentials into account.
This is just one of the shifts in the consumer’s greeting card buying patterns that was tracked in the recent research project commissioned by the GCA and undertaken by respected survey company OnePoll.
The findings are based on the responses from 2,000 adults who give greeting cards at least once a year.
Sharing some of the highlights at last week’s GCA AGM and Conference (October 14), Darren Cave, vice president of the GCA and commercial director of UK Greetings, highlighted that over a fifth of those surveyed went so far as to say that sustainability is a “very important” consideration in their greeting card buying decisions today.
“Only 8% of those responding to our survey said that consideration for the environment was not something they thought of when selecting a greeting card,” said Darren.
The responses showed that females and younger card buyers are the most acute in their environmentally-centric greeting card purchasing habits.
The findings were shared by Darren just before a panel session at last week’s well-attended event, with Rachel Hare, managing director Belly of Button Designs and Helena Mansell-Stopher, founder of the Products of Change membership hub, going into greater detail on the sustainability front. While Rachel shared what measures she has put in place in her business – which includes all Belly Button Design cards being supplied completely plastic-free from the start of next year, Helena hit home the urgency of businesses adopting more sustainable practices while remaining commercial.
Products of Change’s greeting card and affiliated products members now include Danilo, Carousel Calendars/Otter House, Cath Tate Cards, Glick and Out of the Blue Studios/Into the Green.
Instigated by Heidi Early, co-owner of Earlybird Designs in conjunction with Products of Change and supported by PG and the GCA, a Cardie Green Team meeting is to take place via Zoom at 11am on Wednesday 10 November to discuss more ways the industry can improve its sustainability.
Anyone interested in attending (or joining Products of Change) should email Helena onhelena@productsofchange.com
Top: Working towards a circular economy is in the interests of the planet.
