Ahead of the biggest shopping season a poll commissioned by Friends of the Earth Canada shows buyers do consider the environment in their purchases

(Ottawa, Canada November, 21, 2013) As the biggest retail blitz of the year approaches, Friends of the Earth Canada (FOE) is releasing their national holiday survey results. FOE commissioned this research to find out if environmental concerns influence holiday shopping.

The poll of 1,250 people indicates that Canadians are aware of environmental impacts when buying gifts. More than five out of ten Canadians surveyed said environmental concerns are important when giving gifts. Almost half said they thought about how they could reduce their environmental footprint when purchasing a gift. In the eyes of four out of ten Canadians if you give an environmentally friendly gift, you will be thought of more highly by the gift receiver.

When it came to purchasing gifts for children twelve and under, respondents said quality and durability were highest in importance with toxin free gifts ranked second in importance.

The polling showed that almost 65 per cent of people planning to give gifts thought that a commercially available gift card was an environmentally friendly gift. It also found that over 40 per cent had made their own gift coupons or given time or services as holiday gifts.

“It is encouraging to see that Canadians are including their concerns about clean air, climate change and clean water in their gift giving decisions. Friends of the Earth want to challenge Canadians to go further by signing on to its new challenge campaign, “Cut-the-Chains”. A green holiday can be enjoyed without consumer hype by focusing on sharing experiences and making donations that celebrate people and the planet,” says Beatrice Olivastri, CEO, Friends of the Earth Canada. “We think lots of people will agree that experiences trump stuff for holiday giving and demonstrate it by signing on to the ‘Cut-the-Chains’ challenge.”

“It is also interesting to note that the biggest numbers across the country for green concerns when giving gifts were in the Maritimes, British Columbia, and Manitoba/Saskatchewan,” Ms. Olivastri observed. This shows that green behaviour during the holidays is reflected from coast to coast.

See full poll results here.

For interviews or insight into regional or provincial results please contact:
Beatrice Olivastri, CEO
Friends of the Earth Canada
C: 613 724 8690

This poll was conducted by Oraclepoll Research Limited between November 4 and 14, 2013. The margin of error for this 1,250-person survey is +/- 2.8%, 19/20 times. For more details, visit FOE’s website at www.foecanada.org.

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Friends of the Earth is the Canadian member of Friends of the Earth International, the world’s largest grassroots environmental network campaigning on today’s most urgent environmental and social issues.