The green breeze in China's consumer market

The fourth China International Consumer Products Expo (Hainan Expo) kicked off in the southernmost island – Hainan Province of China. From April 13 to April 18, the consumer products expo will hold multiple activities centered around promoting consumption to attract global visitors, steer emerging consumer trends, and invigorate new consumer vigor. An activity held on April 14 was themed green business and sustainable development.

China's National Development and Reform Commission and other departments issued a plan to promote green consumption in 2022, and as time passed, green consumption is now becoming a leading trend in the Chinese market. Green consumption is an eco-friendly mode of consumption. It aims to reduce an individual's negative impact on the environment through their consumption choices. It involves purchasing products and services that are produced and used causing less environmental harm.

In a recent report released together by Shanghai Consumer Council and the National Business Daily regarding the green consumption trend of the consumers, both the consumers and the brands have begun to comply with the concept of green and low-carbon consumption.

Consumers, especially those in first-tier cities of China (Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen), pay the highest attention to green and low-carbon consumption; moreover, they are more concerned about green and low-carbon products in food, cosmetics, home furnishings, building materials and other fields. On the brand side, green and low-carbon sustainability has gradually become part of the long-term value of an enterprise, and has been integrated into product design and daily operation.  

It is worth pointing out that Generation Z has become the main force in China's consumer market. However, over 90 percent of them think green products lack clear information for comparison and understanding. Based on these, the report sets three goals for green, low-carbon, and sustainable consumption in 2024: More new technologies to support green, low-carbon, and sustainable consumption; more products that feature green and low-carbon with better quality and user experience, and more successful cases of brands and consumers working together to promote green, low-carbon, and sustainable consumption.