A third of men “overwhelmed” by concept of sustainability and don’t trust product claims

New research commissioned by men’s grooming brand Brother Earth has revealed that a third of men say they feel overwhelmed by the concept of sustainability and don’t trust the claims of sustainable products.

The survey, conducted by Opinium Research with 2,000 UK adults, revealed that approximately 4.9 million men don’t know how to be sustainable and, in what is described as a "green gender gap", one in five men don’t care about sustainability, versus one in ten women.

Looking into the sustainability and bathroom habits of men, the research uncovered the reasons why they're are lagging in the sustainability race.

Bathroom plastic accounts for 40% of landfill waste in the UK – with many products taking up to 500 years to decompose. However, only a fifth of the men surveyed regularly purchase plastic-free bathroom products, despite 79% of British adults making an effort in other areas, such as taking a reusable bag to the supermarket.

The new research suggests that one reason men could be lagging behind in the sustainability stakes is because they feel more disillusioned about the future than women, with almost a third of men believing their actions won’t make a difference.

Additionally, a quarter of men doubt whether ‘sustainable’ products are actually good for the environment, and 40% of men say they are unwilling to compromise on their lifestyle for the greater good.

With one in three men admitting to feeling "left out of the conversation" around how to save the planet, Brother Earth is focusing on plastic-free and effort-free bathroom essential subscription boxes with a very clear message, making it "super easy" for men to switch to sustainable bathroom products.

Nick Trevis, Co-founder of Brother Earth, said: "We firmly believe that men care about the planet, but the problem is that the day-to-day realities of a high pressure lifestyle present obstacles to our sustainability efforts. Frankly, it’s not surprising that consumers get confused and disillusioned, given all the mixed messaging and the lack of accessible products and services out there.

"If we truly want to tackle climate change, we need to make sure nobody feels left out of the sustainability conversation, so we can all take responsibility for our choices as consumers."

That there is such a bathroom blind spot when it comes to plastic waste is largely down to convenience, the survey found.  More than a quarter of men said they struggled to find sustainable alternatives for their go-to grooming products, and were forced to make extreme substitutions after running out of items such as shampoo or shower gel. One in five (21%) men admitted using washing up liquid in replacement of their usual grooming products, followed by laundry detergent (14%), fabric softener (12%) and pet shampoo (6%).

The Brother Earth subscription box includes the same four essential products; a natural deodorant, conditioning shampoo bar, face and body bar, and toothpaste, with each item packaged according to sustainable, circular guidelines.

Products typically sold as liquids, such as shampoo and face wash, have been reformulated as solid bars – saving approximately 80% of the energy typically used to manufacture and package liquid products.

With minimalist packaging made out of easily recyclable cardboard and aluminium, the brand's subscription boxes are sent out every two months.

Each grooming item’s size and weight has been precisely calculated to ensure it lasts for eight weeks, meaning there’s no risk of the products stacking up between uses, or running out in between deliveries.