Context of emissions scandal:

In early September the Environmental Protection Agency in the USA found that VW had been selling cars with software that concealed true emission rates when being tested. When tested emissions beat the lab limits, but when on the road with these emission controls switched off, cars would emit up to 40 times the legal levels of nitrogen oxide (NOx).

The emission scandal has since spread from the US to become a global issue and VW has admitted that up to 11m cars globally were fitted with this ‘defeat device’. Reports also show that the software has been fitted to Audi, Seat and Skoda vehicles.

Most recently issues have been raised about irregularities in carbon dioxide emission levels with VW’s in Europe this time potentially affecting petrol as well as diesel cars.

VW now face potential fines through the US Clean Air Act of up to $18bn in penalties (up to $37,500 per car).

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Are consumers taking advantage of an increasing focus on sustainability?

 When evaluating sustainability, consumers focus on the impact our behaviour and activity has on the planet and its resources

 Actions, rather than CSR statements, are what consumers demand to see from organisations, especially so for millennials

 The study’s results indicate that brands who publically talk about their sustainability actions are getting more consumer attention than those who don’t

Check out our new website at www.futurethinking.com

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Consumers are confusing sugar and fat

-        56% of people have not changed their eating habits as a result of reported increased sugar levels in certain food and drink 

-        Making food cheaper is still the primary driver of making healthier choices with over half the population believing this

-        And with half of our respondents having been on a diet in the last year, attention is definitely drawn to what will assist weight loss and healthy eating

Findings from the Grocery Eye study, conducted by business intelligence consultancy, Future Thinking, show that the UK population is struggling to understand whether they should be cutting out sugar, fat or both from their diets. In general, there are clear attempts to focus more on sugar than fat. However, when it comes to active weight loss the decision making is reversed and cutting sugar gets left by the wayside in favour of reducing fat and portion sizes, despite sugar being the most significant factor in dieting success.

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