The UK food and drink industry is leading the way in its efforts to go green, according to a survey of more than 2,000 consumers, who rated it its environmental credentials higher than those of several other industries.

The L.E.K. Carbon Footprint Report 2007, issued by management consultancy L.E.K. Consulting, asked more than 2,000 people to rate a number of industries on an ascending scale of one to five for their environmental efforts.

The food and drink industry came out on top with an average score of 2.69, closely followed by financial services at 2.62.

Electricity and energy suppliers notched up 2.58, construction and housing scored 2.56, clothing 2.54 and consumer electronics 2.48. Retail and travel and transport were rated the worst performing industries, with scores of 2.45 and 2.25 respectively.

The survey also found that 56 per cent of UK consumers would value information about the carbon footprint of the products they purchase. Equipped with such information, 44 per cent of respondents would switch to a product or service with a lower carbon footprint, even if it was not their first preference, and one in five would travel to a less convenient retailer in order to obtain such products.

In addition, 43 per cent of consumers would be willing to pay more for a lower-carbon product or service - 16 per cent would pay up to £20 extra per year, and 27 per cent would pay more than £20 a year.

Some 40 per cent of respondents said that manufacturers and producers should be responsible for taking on this challenge. The government is also expected to do more, with more than one in five respondents believing that it should be leading the way in tackling this issue. Some 20 per cent felt it was their responsibility to lead the way in minimising footprint.

Consumers are also unconvinced by the ‘green’ claims of retailers and manufacturers, according to the research, with nearly 60 per cent saying they are either ‘not very’ (46 per cent) or ‘not at all’ (11 per cent) credible.

“It is encouraging for the food and drink industry that consumers perceive it to be making the greatest efforts to ‘go green’,” said Jeremy Wheatland, partner in L.E.K. Consulting. “Those that address this issue sooner rather than later, and can communicate credible evidence regarding their green initiatives, will be able to take advantage of this change in customer perception.”

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