Shopping with a conscience

New Zealander shoppers are becoming increasingly likely to buy environmentally friendly or fair trade products, a survey has found.

They are also more keen than they once were to buy from companies that contribute to a charitable cause, rather than buy a cheaper product.

The annual MasterCard survey, shows Kiwis have a growing consciousness about the environment when out shopping, said Mastercard Worldwide's New Zealand manager Stuart McKinlay.

Mr McKinlay said it was the first time the company's Shopping Report, which compares 13 countries, had shown customers making conscious efforts to help the environment and to ensure they are using products that had been obtained fairly and ethically.

"Shoppers consider a range of factors when they make a purchase,"he said.

"Knowing a retailer is making a material contribution to a good cause is clearly something they are increasingly looking for and, in some cases, are prepared to pay more for".

Fifty-five per cent of the 250 people surveyed said they preferred part of a product's price to be donated to a charity rather than discounted in the shop.

Women were more likely than men to buy goods that had environmental and social considerations.

And 44 per cent of shoppers were actively seeking out brands advertised as "socially responsible".

Mr McKinlay believes the change in consumer attitudes is because of changes moves to spending behaviour during the global financial crisis.

"Consumers are probably more aware that during a crisis they're not the only ones hurting financially.

"They can probably see producers and communities and charities are also feeling the pinch, so I think it raises the level of awareness."

New Zealand's clean, green image and 100 per cent Pure marketing campaign had also increased interest in environmental concerns.

"New Zealanders are more willing to look out for the environmentally friendly or fair trade principles type of product than say, in Australia, where they would look less for that type of product but more for a product that had a charity component to it, so there is a difference there."

Charities favoured by New Zealanders were those working against cancer and heart disease (preferred by 42 per cent of respondents), child health charities (30 per cent), local natural disaster relief funds (29 per cent) and animal aid (28 per cent).