Denmark's Most Sustainable Industry of 2019

Most Sustainable Indsutry2019

'Grocery Stores' is again ranked as the most sustainable industry in Denmark this year according to Sustainable Brand Index 2019, followed by the industries 'Electricity' and 'Pharmacies'. 

The supermarket co-operation Coop has been announced as the overall winner of Sustainable Brand Index 2019 and the top is again dominated by food related brands. Grocery Stores have been taking the lead in Sustainable Brand Index since the beginning of the study in 2013.

Sustainable Brand Index yearly ranks over 200 of the biggest brands in Denmark on sustainability. It is an independent research that measures consumer behaviour and perception over time. The leading industry is calculated based on the average score of the brands belonging to a specific industry in the ranking.

Across Countries

However, the leading industry in sustainability is not that straightforward when comparing to the rest of Europe. There are some interesting differences between the other countries in the ranking. In the Netherlands, the Banking sector is for example taking the lead, while this is the case for Pharmacies in Sweden and Hotels in Norway. The differences show how brands and industries could learn from each other across borders and how sustainability can be a successful and inherent part of companies in all sectors. 

Key Insights

Denmark has always been the slightly deviating sibling among the Nordic countries. It is exhibiting trends and developments different from Sweden, Norway and Finland. This year is no different as Danish consumers, contradictory to its neighbours, show a negative development in the share of the population that claims to be affected by sustainability when buying things.

The share of Danish consumers discussing sustainability increases in the same way as the rest of the Nordics. However, it seems a bit harder for brands to convert this interest into action in the form of sustainable choice. At the moment, the Danes show more talk than walk, a path that we do not want them to continue down.

As in all countries, the gap between interest in sustainability and actual behaviour change is still significant. There is an Intellectual Gap that waits to be bridged. Even though external events such as wildfires, flooding and the IPCC Report on Climate Change give consumers a sense of urgency and an intellectual understanding of the severity of things, there is still a great need for effective marketing and sales to change behaviours. It is like going to the gym. You know you have to, but it is still something that most people put off. Industry-wide solutions are likely to be an important way forward for creating behavioural changes. For people to act, the norm needs to change quickly. This will happen if all, or at least a majority, of the actors in an industry, work together.

Building a sustainable brand is more critical today than ever before. As a result of increased interest and more discussions among consumers, sustainability today is something that is in high demand. In most industries, there are still open positions to take within sustainability.

Discover more by downloading the official report for free.

Sustainable Brand Index™ is Europe's largest brand study on sustainability. The study measures and analyses how sustainability affects branding, communication and business development. It is an independent study consisting of more than 1 000 brands and over 50 000 stakeholder-interviews across Europe. The brand ranking and official report are freely available to the public. For all brands included in the study we offer a tailored strategy report. Discover more about what Sustainable Brand Index™ means for your brand:  www.sb-index.com