52% of Belgian population change brands because of poor reputation on sustainability, says Leuven-based BPact

Belgians may show interest in sustainability, but the belief that Belgians attach to companies' efforts around sustainability is rather poor. 83% are convinced that companies do sustainable business to have a positive image. 60% suspect that companies are committed to sustainability because other companies are doing the same. In turn, 58% think that profit is the biggest motivator. The belief in companies or organizations presenting themselves as sustainable is therefore rather low, especially when it comes to private companies (3%) and government institutions (5%).

Jan Beyne explains, "The perception is that companies do sustainable business to create a positive image, increase profits or because other companies are doing it too, not because of 'genuine' reasons. Whether it's woke washing or green washing, each time forms where you mainly talk about your social and green ambitions without checking the actual impact, makes no sense. On the contrary, such a thing can turn out very wrong. Mind you, many organizations do not necessarily do this intentionally. They lack the right data to make the correct assumptions. The message for companies: work on an authentic ESG strategy, identifying where you as a company still have potential negative impact and what you are trying to do about it, as well as how to increase your positive impact."