FSC Australia through a partnership with RMIT, recently researched consumer awareness of the FSC label to find it has been increasing in recent years. The most notable increases have been found in specific demographics, such as the millennial demographic. The primary cause for the spread of consumer awareness has been through well-known brands using FSC labeling on their products, with one quarter of people in 2016 learning about the FSC logo from products alone.
However, this is followed closely by the promotional use of the logo on websites and online blogs.
When taking a deeper look past simple logo recognition, most people associate the meaning of the logo with sustainable forest management. This remains to be the most common association by people of all demographics. As approximately half of people from all groups make this association with the logo.
In regards to age, it was found that Australians aged 18-29 are the most familiar with the FSC logo (31%), while the older(65+) Australians, are the least familiar (9%). Notably those aged 30-49 (29%)have seen a 9% increase in recognition since 2015.
This is a clear indicator that there is scope to educate the older demographic on the critical mission and important work that is represented by the FSC logo, a potential avenue to engage this demographic is through the use of advertising, as 28% of Australians aged 50-65+ learned about FSC through this means.
Education level also provides a fascinating insight, it was found that those with some form of university qualification (31%) were the most aware of the FSC logo and those with a trade certificate/diploma 17% remained to be the least knowledgeable about the brand. A significant increase in awareness was evident among those with only a high school education (20%), with an 8% increase from2015 to 2016.
Naturally, those who were familiar with the FSC logo are twice as likely to purchase a product displaying the logo than those who are unfamiliar with FSC. However, it was found that after explaining the meaning behind the FSC logo to those unfamiliar : “TheForest Stewardship Council (FSC) is a global, non-profit organisation dedicated to responsible forest management. FSC certified forests ensure wildlife habitats are protected, that local communities & indigenous groups were consulted, & workers’ rights are respected, and timber from those forests creates many sustainable products.”
This saw a 15% increase in those unfamiliar with the logo to change their purchasing habits to include products with the FSC logo.
Looking at the consumer data, we can conclude that on average approximately one in four Australians are familiar withthe FSC logo. As a whole this is an increase in overall familiarity withthe logo in recent years and it can be assumed that with creative and continuedefforts to increase awareness among consumers this upward trend will persist inyears to come.