The Danish Consumer Behavior towards Organic and Sustainable Fashion after the Recession

“According to a traditional economical theory, we are willing to pay a little bit extra for organic and other sustainable products when we have the surplus to do so and then return to the more conventional alternatives when the budget is tight. However, our study shows that this has not been

the case during this particular crisis”

Thomas Roland, Head of Department, FDB (Own translation: FDB Ansvarlighedsrapport 2009, p. 2)

FDB´s⁹findings about the Danish consumers´ consumption of organic and sustainable products during the recession are consistent with the results from my study. 90 percent out of 100 respondents indicated that they do not purchase fewer organic and sustainable products after the recession.

One would be tempted to think that people would only be interested in buying organic and sustainable products if they are doing well economically and that they would go back to buying the conventional products if the budget is tight. However, this research shows that this was not the case.¹⁰

Thomas Roland suggests that there has been a change of attitude among the majority of the Danish consumers. He believes that the reason why many Danes have reached a decision only to buy organic or sustainable products is an increased awareness about their health, the environment, and people in the developing countries (FDB Ansvarlighedsrapport 2009, p. 8).

In order to examine why the Danes´ consumption and interest for organic and sustainable products have not decreased during the recession, I will compare my results with Ronald Inglehart´s definition about values.

According to Ronald Inglehart, the Danes are still able to focus on organic and sustainable products because their postmodern values are so deeply rooted in them. Values do not change over night, but they may however change over a longer period of time (See 2.3.3, p. 18). Steen Vallentin,

9 FDB: Abbreviation for “Fællesforeningen for Danmarks Brugsforeninger “. In English: The Danish Consumers Co-operative Society. It is a consumer co-operative, which owns Coop Denmark. Coop Denmark is Denmark´s largest wholesale company

10 See appendix: Figure 4, p. 5

researcher at Copenhagen Business School in Management of Ethics and Social Responsibility, supports this statement. He believes that it is too early in the process to tell whether the recession will actually affect the values and beliefs of the Danes. However, he does believe that the Danes may experience one if the recession continues for a long period of time, but right now he does not believe that it has had any deeper affect on the Danes values. He suggests that the recession may only be a period of time when people are a little bit more cautious about what they spend their money on (personal communicaton, September 29, 2010).

The results of the consumer surveys indicate that a significant part of the consumers still find it very important to support the environment and the developing countries. They mentioned that to them it is a matter of principle and that they would always choose an organic product rather than a conventional product. The result of this study indicates that the respondents are not willing to compromise with their Post-materialistic identity and that they tend to hold on to it even more.

Additionally, this study indicates that the economic insecurity after the recession and the climate changes have made people more aware about how fragile and small the world is. Some of the respondents suggest that the reason the interest for organic and sustainable products has increased in Denmark, despite the recession, is because people have become more aware about poverty, child labor, and climate changes. People need to take responsibility for themselves and their surroundings in order to survive (See: 3.2.2, p. 36; 3.2.4, pp. 40-41).

Due to the fact that the Danes´post-modern values are so deeply rooted in them and that Denmark is still a very safe and peaceful place to live, it is still possible for the Danes to focus on quality of life and self-actualization. This statement is consistent with Abraham Maslow´s “Hierarchy of Needs”.

According to Maslow, a human being needs to have his or her basic needs fulfilled in order to focus on self-actualization and the quality of life. Even though the Danes might not have the same high standard of living that they used to have before the recession, they are still not suffering from corruption or abuse of power from the Danish Government and they do not have to fear for their well being. A person who lives in an unsafe environment would most likely not have the surplus energy to focus on other people in need. Their first priority would be survival (See 2.3.5.1, pp. 19-20). Furthermore, when I asked the question about whether or not the respondents believed that the interest for organic and sustainable products had increased despite the recession, the majority of the respondents answered that they believe that it is the companies, the media, and the Government that

needs such as belongingness, prestige, and feeling accepted by other people. The institute of futurology suggests that the consumer spending on organic and sustainable products in Denmark is no longer just a way to cover the existential needs, but also a way to express oneself culturally as well as socially. Some consumers for example are only interested in getting their physiological needs covered when they are buying food or clothes, whereas other consumers try to get their needs for recognition and self-actualization fulfilled by buying organic and sustainable products (Mogensen 2004, p. 76). According to Steen Vallentin, there has definitely been an increased interest for organic products and social responsibility the last couple of years. He suggests that the reason for this increased interest may be due to an increased awareness about social responsibility.

Furthermore, he substantiates the respondents´ statement about that it is the companies, the media, and the Government that influence people to ride on the “Green Trend Wave”. The Government developed a new action plan in 2008, which is supposed to put a lot more focus on organic and sustainable development. The Danish Government´s long-ranged goal is to convert Denmark into a green and sustainable nation and thereby try to turn the challenges of the recession into new opportunities. Additionally, Steen Vallentin notes that the Danish companies according to the Danish Financial Statements Act, paragraph 99a, are obliged to notify whether they are engaged in any social responsible activities.