Poland: the sustainability pioneer in CEE

Due to this “pole position,” Poland represents the key market for sustainability in CEE, but shoppers sense a lack of empowerment: only 51% feel they can make a difference, a number below the European average (59%) and declining.

Climate change is the biggest and still growing eco-concern for Polish shoppers, but food waste is also high on their agenda. The three main choice drivers regarding sustainability include:

1. Local origin: 72% of shoppers frequently or at least occasionally choose products from local companies, and 68% select products with locally sourced ingredients.

2. Recycling: 69% choose products with recycled or partly recycled packaging, and 68% only if the packaging is fully recyclable.

3. Naturalness: 63% at least occasionally choose products with only natural ingredients.

Magdalena Zimna explains: “Recent Polish preferences to buy local or products made of local ingredients have their roots in the pandemic, when topics including health, the impact of human behavior, and global supply chains dominated the media. Although this phase is behind us, the awareness has remained and is increasingly impacting shoppers’ decisions and choices.”

Polish shoppers are also way more active than the global average in plastic-reducing behaviors, with 81% bringing their own shopping bags, more than 60% using refillable drinking bottles, and 60% purchasing refills – provided they get the chance to buy refill packs and eco-friendly packaging. 65% of households are frustrated about how much plastic they end up with in their basket, and this number is growing. 33% of households would like to behave more sustainably but do not succeed – a struggle they share with their CEE companions, facing similar physical and mental barriers.

While households try to take their share of responsibility, they feel that manufacturers and retailers do not live up to their expectations: only 17% of households in Poland see positive retailer efforts to promote sustainable shopping. 24% of shoppers feel that Biedronka, the largest retailer in Poland, should improve on social and sustainability initiatives. In fact, the banner reaches a lower share of eco-actives (index 87) compared to competitors such as Auchan or Lidl (index 109).