Growing Awareness Of MSC EcoLabel

This was the first survey ever carried out by AMR Marketing Research in both countries.

The research was carried out after two major joint-marketing campaigns Albert Heijn puur&eerlijk in the Netherlands and the Coop campaign in Sweden, which boosted the visibility of MSC-labelled and increased sales of MSC labelled products.

Increased awareness and concerns for sustainability and environmental issues is influencing consumers and their everyday purchases. 45 per cent of Swedish shoppers report buying more products with ecolabels than a year ago with an equally strong response of 34 per cent of Dutch consumers.

23 per cent of Swedish respondents say that they only buy fish and seafood from sustainable sources, regardless of price and quality, and are even prepared to go elsewhere if the product they are looking for is not available.

In the Netherlands, ecolabels rank as the most trusted sources of information about sustainability with friends and family recommendations coming second, an indication of how much more sustainability issues are part of everyday conversation.

An average of 54 per cent of Dutch and Swedish respondents believe ecolabels are effective in helping bringing changes to environmental/ social problems (33 per cent still undecided) and 55 per cent think that the MSC is helping to ensure we have wild caught fish in the future (40 still undecided).

Nicolas Guichoux, Regional Director for Europe at the MSC, said: These figures are a great testament to the work of our fisheries and supply chain partners. These results show that the greater range and availability of MSC labelled products has helped boost consumer awareness in the Netherlands and in Sweden. Working closely with our partners across the world, we will continue to make it easier for consumers to choose certified seafood and reward sustainable and well-managed fisheries.