Sustainability Has Shifted From Nice-to-Have to Spend-Here-Now for UK Consumers

Across the UK, sustainability is no longer a fringe concern; it is reshaping how people choose what they buy, how they live, and how they evaluate the brands they support, and this change in mindset has clear parallels in how property and facility care must evolve too.

In recent results filed in the UK, Who Gives A Crap, the eco-friendly household goods brand, saw its UK revenue grow 17 percent to £45.5 million in the year to June 2024, and its operating profits more than doubled to £2.8 million, underpinned by strong British consumer demand for products that combine utility with environmental purpose. The brand’s retail partnerships with Waitrose, Ocado and other outlets have brought its sustainable toilet paper, bin bags and compostable waste bags into more homes than ever. These results underline a growing willingness among UK shoppers to choose products that stand for something while still delivering quality.

At a population level, British attitudes reflect this shift too. A significant proportion of UK consumers are taking sustainability into their own hands, with many willing to pay up to a modest premium for greener products and lifestyle choices, and most actively engaging in recycling, reducing single-use plastics, and household waste reduction. Recent YouGov data show that 64 percent of British consumers say they would pay up to ten percent more for sustainable goods, and more than half plan to reduce food waste or use reusable containers and bags.

This movement is far from superficial or fleeting; it is shaping expectations across everyday life and has a direct influence on what people value from the spaces they inhabit, work in and visit.

For facility managers and building owners this trend is highly relevant because the way we care for physical assets increasingly communicates the same values that consumers are showing with their wallets: durability, responsibility and thoughtful stewardship.

When a business or property owner leans heavily on Reactive Maintenance, waiting for equipment or infrastructure to fail before fixing it, the experience can feel short-sighted and wasteful. Breakdowns disrupt operations, cause costly emergency repairs, and often lead to premature replacements that generate unnecessary waste and expense. In effect, reactive maintenance approaches mirror unsustainable consumption: quick fixes with long-term cost and environmental penalties.

By contrast, Planned Maintenance, where systems and equipment are serviced on a regular schedule, inspections are systematic, and repairs are anticipated rather than reacted to, aligns far more closely with the values driving today’s sustainable consumer behaviour. Planned maintenance reduces unexpected failures, extends the lifecycle of assets, improves resource efficiency and minimises waste, the same principles that motivate people to repair, reuse and choose durable products over disposable alternatives.

The idea of Efficient Maintenance takes this even further by combining foresight with optimisation. It means investing in maintenance workflows that reduce downtime, cut energy use, prolong equipment life and improve performance, all while generating measurable operational and environmental benefits. It is maintenance with intention, not just obligation, and it resonates with the same mindset that leads a growing number of British consumers to choose environmentally responsible products and lifestyles in the face of economic pressures.

When consumers buy from a brand like Who Gives A Crap, they are voting for a business that delivers everyday utility while also demonstrating sustainability credentials. In facilities and properties, investing in efficient and planned approaches delivers everyday reliability, supports sustainability targets, and positions organisations as thoughtful stewards of the environments they operate in.

In a world where people increasingly expect meaningful action, not just marketing, the maintenance choices organisations make are part of the wider sustainability conversation. Reactive fixes might solve an immediate problem; planned, efficient maintenance solves the long-term one, aligning operational performance with the values of the modern sustainable consumer.