Sydney, 28 August 2025 — New research released today by South Pole, a leading global climate consultancy, reveals that more than three-quarters of Australians consider sustainability when purchasing products. Yet, many consumers struggle to put their ambition into action, with companies consistently using language that consumers simply don't understand.
This lack of clarity, however, does not deter ambition. Despite a cost-of-living crisis in Australia, consumers are not abandoning their climate consciousness to cut corners. It is clear that the Australian public recognises the long-term impacts of their decision-making, with two-thirds (63%) factoring it into where they bank and over half (57%) considering it when choosing an employer.
Ben Peacock, South Pole Global Creative Director, said: "Australians want sustainability, but brands aren't always telling their story in the right way. First and foremost, they need to start by doing something worth talking about and then use accessible, everyday language to be as transparent as possible and bring consumers on their sustainability journey."
The new report "Confusing or Convincing" was informed by comprehensive community research conducted by Mobium Group. The study surveyed 2,025 people from across the country, spanning urban and rural communities and across four generations (ages 16–79). To provide robust insights, the study incorporated two parallel surveys of over 1,000 respondents each. These included deep dives into Australians' awareness, understanding, and confidence in defining high-profile environmental terms—revealing critical gaps between messaging and public knowledge.
The research uncovers deep-seated sustainability scepticism. In part, this can be attributed to the sometimes vague and unsubstantiated claims that businesses are tempted to make. The study revealed a wide gap between the language used by companies and what people understand. Less than half of the respondents who thought they understood key climate terms were able to correctly define these concepts, including net-zero, circularity, regenerative agriculture, and nature positive.
Daniel Klier, CEO of South Pole, said: "Consumers increasingly know the difference between greenwash and real action. Businesses are limiting their brands by not communicating their actions. It's high time companies prepared to use the right language and educate their customers on the challenges and opportunities that come with this low-carbon transition. Those who resign sustainability to the 'too-hard basket' risk their brand value and getting left behind."
The report also adds insight to existing gender and generational gaps in Australia, as young people and women are reportedly more ambitious in their own sustainable impacts. Almost 90% of Gen Z (16-30 years old) Australians, and nearly 80% of women, are more likely to prioritise sustainability in their everyday purchase choices. This is a stark jump from 68% of those born before 1979 and slightly more than men (72%).
In 2023, South Pole helped popularise the term 'greenhushing', where companies conceal or underreport environmental efforts to avoid greenwashing accusations. Our research indicated that it was present across nearly every primary sector globally in 2023, from fashion to tech and FMCG. Today's research builds on this challenge, showing that companies that greenhush are at odds with what consumers want.
Tara Oakley, Regional Director, Oceania at South Pole, said: "Our research shows that sustainability is part of everyday decision-making, shaping how people choose their banks, fashion, household products and even jobs. Brands need to communicate their sustainability actions with a clear story to build trust, rather than walking away and not talking about anything at all."
It is clear that Australians expect brands to go beyond stating goals — there is demand for clear, honest communication and evidence of action. There's even demand for brands to admit when they miss targets, not only celebrating successes. 54% of respondents call for companies to admit if they have faced challenges and then explain how they are going to overcome them.
Tara Oakley added: "We need a change of guard on what sustainability language to use - no more generic, vague or unsubstantiated claims such as 'green' or 'eco-friendly' and prioritise education on specific, standardised and credible terms such as 'net-zero' or 'sustainable".
Nick Bez, Research Director of Mobium Group, said: "The research shows that many Australians remain committed to making environmentally considerate choices, but they want more authentic and transparent information to guide their decisions. High levels of underlying cynicism towards brand communication, combined with limited understanding of key environmental terms, present a major challenge to driving deeper engagement and action in the community."
Are your sustainability claims building trust or just confusion? Our new report uses Australian consumer data to reveal which terms work and which you should stop using. Find out now.
The research that informs this report was conducted in close partnership between South Pole and independent research company, Mobium Group. Mobium implemented a dual stream survey approach (Survey A and Survey B) to ensure maximum respondent engagement and quality of responses. Respondents from both Survey A and B were asked all questions that weren’t related to a specific sustainability term. Then, the ten terms were split between the two survey streams.
Survey A had a sample size of 1,021. Respondents answered questions about their awareness, perception and understanding of five terms—sustainable, net-zero, science-based targets, emission reductions and biodegradable. Survey B had a sample size of 1,004 for the remaining five terms—regenerative agriculture, nature positive, renewable energy, circularity and ethically sourced.
South Pole is the world's leading carbon asset developer and climate consultancy.
Since 2006, South Pole has been a trusted partner and advisor to governments, public sector organisations, and leading businesses on their decarbonisation journeys. South Pole serves over 1,000 clients across the world, and its global team of experts has helped many Fortune 500 businesses implement comprehensive strategies that help build resilience and turn climate action into long-term business opportunities.
In line with its mission to deliver true climate impact for all, South Pole has used the power of markets to help channel climate finance to over 850 projects in more than 50 countries across the globe. To date, these projects have helped reduce over 200 million metric tonnes of CO2 emissions, accelerated low-carbon transformations across several sectors, and provided measurable benefits to communities vulnerable to climate change.
The business is supported by world-class investors, including Temasek's GenZero, Lightrock, Corisol, and Salesforce Ventures.
South Pole is a social enterprise recognised by the World Economic Forum's Schwab Foundation, and committed to becoming a B Corp globally.
For more information, visit www.southpole.com or LinkedIn.
Mobium Group is an independent research consultancy dedicated to helping organisations understand and respond to Australian consumers’ growing desire for healthier, more sustainable choices.
Founded in 2005, Mobium has drawn on both primary and secondary multi-mode research to support decision-makers across corporates, governments, businesses, start-ups and NGOs.
Over this time, Mobium has surveyed more than 150,000 Australians, developing deep insights into their aspirations and challenges around personal wellbeing, community priorities and planetary issues.
The consultancy has delivered work across a wide range of topics, using diverse methodologies including custom projects, syndicated studies and long-term tracking programs. Sector coverage spans consumer goods, financial and consulting services, B2B industry verticals, supply chains, peak bodies, NGOs and NFPs.
Research Director Nicholas Bez is a QPR (Qualified Practising Researcher), accredited by The Research Society, the peak body for market research in Australia. He is also a Fellow of the Australian Marketing Institute and, in 2025, served as head judge for the Sustainability category at the AMI National Marketing Awards.
Mobium serves both global and local clients from its base in Melbourne, Australia.
For more information: www.mobium.com.au
Are your sustainability claims building trust or just confusion? Our new report uses Australian consumer data to reveal which terms work and which you should stop using. Find out now.
South Pole's latest Net Zero Report surveyed 1,400 sustainability leads and found that the majority of companies in 9 of the 14 major sectors surveyed are intentionally decreasing their climate communications.
Recent legislation to strengthen the national emission reduction scheme, the Reformed Safeguard Mechanism, combined with the assurance of the Chubb Review within the carbon crediting scheme,
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