European consumers are significantly more discerning about a brand’s commitment
to sustainability than consumers in other regions, according to new research
from brand-valuation consultancy Brand Finance.
Brand Finance’s Global Brand Equity Monitor (GBEM) — which surveyed over
150,000 respondents across 16 European and 24 non-European markets — reveals
that European respondents are 25 percent less likely to agree that a brand
is committed to environmental sustainability, 26 percent less likely to
buy into social sustainability claims, and 22 percent less likely to
agree on governance, compared to non-European respondents.
Further analysis shows significant differences within Europe itself. Swiss
consumers are the most skeptical — with 23 percent disagreeing that brands are
committed to environmental sustainability — followed by consumers in the
Netherlands (21 percent), Denmark (20 percent), and Norway (20
percent).
“Brand Finance’s research consistently shows that perceptions of corporate
brands vary significantly across regions, with sustainability being a key area
where European consumers set a higher standard,” explains Rob
Haigh, Strategy &
Sustainability Director at Brand Finance. “Sustainability has been a demand
driver in Europe for longer than anywhere else; consumer awareness of a range of
sustainability issues is high; and Europe continues to lead in sustainability
regulations, particularly with the EU’s Corporate Sustainability Reporting
Directive
(CSRD).
“Sustainability claims must always be genuine and supported by real practices," he added. "But this is particularly true in Europe — where any real or perceived
greenwashing
is likely to be more rapidly exposed.”
Europe’s strongest and most valuable brands
Brand Finance defines “brand value” as the net economic benefit that a brand
owner would achieve by licensing the brand in the open market. “Brand strength”
is the efficacy of a brand’s performance on intangible measures relative to its
competitors.
Deutsche Telekom retained its title as Europe’s
most valuable brand for the second year in a row — its brand value rising 13
percent to €68.4 billion — with fellow German brand
Mercedes-Benz (brand value €55.5 billion) in
second position. UK semiconductor brand Arm saw its
brand value increase to €1.1 billion — nearly five times its 2023 value —
making it the fastest-growing European brand, driven by the global AI
boom and more recently, generative
AI.
The latest Brand Finance Europe 500 ranking
finds Switzerland’s Rolex is now Europe’s
strongest brand with a Brand Strength Index (BSI) score of 90.2 out of
100 and an AAA+ rating. Rolex’s brand strength is underpinned by its strong
performance for familiarity and reputation — the watchmaker achieves a perfect
score of 10 for both metrics.
Italy’s Ferrari (brand value up 38 percent
to €9.9 billion) is now Europe’s second-strongest brand, with a BSI of 90.0 out
of 100. France’s Chanel made a significant
leap, with its brand value increasing 30 percent to €24.3 billion and its BSI
ranking catapulting from 48th to fourth place with an AAA rating. Fellow French
brand Dior and Germany’s
Porsche have also joined the ranks of Europe’s top
ten strongest brands — securing eighth and ninth positions, respectively.
Sustainability Perceptions Value
Brand Finance also uses its GBEM research to compile its Sustainability
Perceptions
Index
— which determines:
-
the role of sustainability in driving consumer choice
-
which brands consumers believe to be most committed to sustainability
-
the proportion of brand value attributable to sustainability perceptions,
and
-
the value at risk or to be gained, based on the difference between
sustainability perceptions and actual performance.
At €13.7 billion, Mercedes-Benz has the highest Sustainability Perceptions
Value (SPV) of any brand in the ranking, followed by Porsche (SPV EUR9.8
billion) and BMW (SPV €9.4 billion). Brand
Finance research finds that sustainability is a crucial driver of choice for
consumers in the luxury auto and auto sectors — at 23.8 percent and 11.5
percent, respectively.
The firm’s perceptual research is analyzed alongside
CSRHub’s ESG performance data to determine a brand’s
“gap value” — the value at risk, or value to be gained, arising from the
difference between sustainability perceptions and actual performance — which
Brand Finance estimates can be in the
billions.
At €696 million, Chanel has the highest positive gap value among European brands
— suggesting that Chanel could generate up to €696 million in additional value
through enhanced communication of its sustainability impact and accomplishments.
Louis Vuitton, with a positive gap of €558 million, and Aldi (€498
million) have the second- and third-highest positive gap values.
The full ranking, additional insights, charts, more information about the
methodology, and definitions of key
terms are available in the Brand Finance Europe 500 2024
ranking.
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Sustainable Brands Staff
Published Sep 19, 2024 8am EDT / 5am PDT / 1pm BST / 2pm CEST