Are Singaporeans eco-friendly? | What Do You Think?
With Singapore’s weather getting hotter and more unpredictable, AsiaOne conducted a survey to find out whether Singaporeans are taking steps towards a more sustainable future.
Watch more: https://www.asiaone.com/video
Watch more: https://www.asiaone.com/video
Transcript
00:00Really, really, it's a problem.
00:01You see the weather, it's a problem.
00:03I just choose what's the cheapest, because I'm broke.
00:05It doesn't really matter to me.
00:07It's easy to fake it.
00:08As long as it's not like, rotten.
00:10Freshness is secondary to price.
00:13From the unbearable heat, to unpredictable weather patterns,
00:17these are results of climate change.
00:192023 was Singapore's fourth warmest year historically,
00:22since records began in 1929,
00:25with the Meteorological Service Singapore stating that
00:272024 could be even hotter.
00:30The need for a sustainable society has never been greater.
00:34The Singapore government has recently provided a big push
00:36towards energy and water-efficient household products,
00:39by giving every HDB household $300 worth of climate vouchers.
00:44From the availability of eco-friendly household products,
00:47to sustainably farmed fresh produce,
00:49these items are already on the market.
00:52But we wanted to find out if Singaporeans would choose them
00:55over traditional produce,
00:56and what factors Singaporeans would consider
00:58before making a purchase.
01:00Asia One recently did a survey on grocery shopping,
01:03with 1,171 valid responses.
01:06We found that among all the product categories,
01:09respondents were most conscious about price and eco-friendliness
01:13for fresh produce such as fruits, vegetables and meat.
01:16But overall, the quality of these products
01:19is still the most important consideration
01:21driving purchase decisions.
01:23Almost half of respondents would sometimes trust brands
01:25that claim their products or services are eco-friendly or sustainable.
01:29A third of respondents never or mostly do not trust these claims by brands,
01:34with three in five of those aged 24 and under never doing so.
01:37Nearly half of the respondents were only willing to spend
01:40less than $10 monthly to combat climate change,
01:44with slightly more than a fifth of those 24 and under
01:46willing to spend between $100 and $999.
01:51Reducing plastic bag usage,
01:52taking public transport and recycling waste
01:55were the main actions respondents indicated
01:57that they were already doing to save the earth.
02:00To expand on our findings,
02:01we headed out to find out whether Singaporeans prioritised quality,
02:05price or sustainability for their fresh fruits.
02:08The first thing I look out for when purchasing fresh fruits
02:11is more the price.
02:12Quality.
02:14Quality as well.
02:15The quality.
02:16But of course, it really depends on the price as well.
02:20Quality and the price.
02:23For me, it's quality.
02:24For me, it's quality and price.
02:26If you don't get the quality of the fruits right,
02:28then there's no point eating it.
02:30As long as it's not rotten.
02:32Freshness is secondary to price.
02:34Eco-friendliness and sustainability is the lowest.
02:37When you buy food, you want it to taste good,
02:39so sometimes the cheaper options are worse quality or they spoil faster.
02:45When the quality is good and the price is something that is affordable,
02:50it's what makes what I'm buying more worth.
02:53If they're organic or not, it doesn't really matter to me.
02:57I think it depends.
02:58If it's toilet paper, it doesn't quite matter.
03:01Things like dish cleaning, even detergent,
03:05I try to look for the ones which are more organic nowadays
03:07because it's softer on the hands.
03:08Yes, I do.
03:09Not really.
03:09I do.
03:11For the cleaning products,
03:12because I'm a mom,
03:13so I also want to take into consideration my child
03:17in terms of the products that I actually use.
03:20I live alone, so I don't take any of that into consideration.
03:24I don't really look out for sustainable options.
03:26I just choose what's the cheapest because I'm broke.
03:28The first tendency is to trust the brands,
03:31but sometimes we do understand that there are companies
03:34that claim it is sustainable, but actually it's not.
03:36To a certain extent, yes, unless they have been cancelled.
03:40Not without scepticism.
03:41It's easy to fake it.
03:42I do trust.
03:43Even the brands that are new in the market, I'll normally test it.
03:47If it's some brand I've heard of before,
03:48then most probably I'll just trust it.
03:50But if it's some brand I've never heard of before,
03:52then there's no point in trusting it.
03:53Yeah, if they advertise it that way and it seems reliable,
03:58I will trust.
03:59Generally, yes, I do.
04:02I am quite trusting of these brands, yes.
04:05I would say between $20 to $49.
04:08I think probably around $50.
04:11I think I'll spend a minimum of below $10.
04:13Somewhere between $50 to $60.
04:17If we take it as whatever I give is proportionally direct
04:21to combating climate change, I think it will be about $200 to $300.
04:26Really, really, it's a problem!
04:28Do you see the manner? It's a problem!
04:30A bit hard for me to answer because I don't think of it in a money sense, right?
04:33I think of it in an attitude sense.
04:34But if I do have to give an answer, I think $50 to $99.
04:37Of the people we interviewed,
04:39the majority of them prioritised the quality of their fresh foods,
04:42with none of the respondents picking eco-friendliness and sustainability
04:46as their most important factor.
04:48Some respondents reasoned that better quality foods taste better,
04:52last longer, provide good value for money,
04:55and the rest simply said that because they can afford it,
04:58they chose to pick higher quality goods.
05:007 out of 10 of those we spoke to do not actively look out for sustainable options
05:05when searching for household products,
05:07but instead choose to look out for the price.
05:10All of our respondents also stated that they are likely to trust brands
05:13that claim their products are eco-friendly or sustainable,
05:16but not without scepticism.
05:18So, what do you think?