Closing the say–do gap on sustainability in the UK

12th November 2025 11:30

Article by Research Director, and Sustainability Lead, Gill Redfern and Francesca Wood, Senior Research Executive.

We often hear that people care about sustainability but caring and doing are two different things. The ‘say–do gap’ describes the space between our values and our actions, and despite growing awareness of climate change, new research from DJS Research suggests that this gap isn’t narrowing.

In our nationally representative survey of 1,027 UK adults (via our in-house panel, Opinion Exchange), we found that across recycling, food waste, clothing, and everyday travel, the intention to act sustainably is strong, but for many households, the follow through lacks consistency.

Recycling: confidence without consistency

Almost everyone in our survey (93%) believes separating recyclables is important, and most (89%) feel confident about what can be recycled kerbside. Yet more than a quarter (26%) admit to at least occasionally putting recyclables in general waste each week.

This behaviour is less about awareness and more about convenience. People living in flats or shared housing often face space constraints, while those whose bins are stored some distance away from their kitchen may struggle to recycle consistently. The government’s Simpler Recycling reforms, due in 2026, aim to standardise what can be recycled across local authorities, but our data suggests consistency of habit, not knowledge, may be the greater barrier.

Food waste: motivation undermined by a lack of routine

When it comes to food waste recycling, motivation to reduce food waste is high (92%), and confidence in how to store food for longer lasting freshness is similar (91%), yet four in five respondents in our survey threw away food in the last week instead of recycling or composting it. Younger adults and women are most likely to report throwing food away; perhaps reflecting that mums often bear the greatest burden of managing children’s half-eaten meals or managing the contents of a busy household fridge. Younger consumers, meanwhile, may place less value on food than older, post-war generations, reflecting the challenges and pace of their daily routines rather than a lack of environmental concern.

Only half of respondents were aware of their local council’s food waste collection service. With new legislation requiring all English councils to provide weekly food waste collection by 2026 (already standard in Wales and much of Scotland and Northern Ireland), the infrastructure is catching up, but public engagement and compliance will need to do the same.

Preloved clothing: social approval is rising but adoption is lagging

Public sentiment around second-hand clothing continues to move in the right direction, helped enormously by online resale platforms like Vinted and brands such as The North Face and Selfridges offering their own preloved offering. Almost nine in ten people in our survey (88%) agree that buying preloved clothing helps reduce waste, and most (85%) say it’s socially acceptable in their peer groups. Yet one in five households own no second-hand items, and only one in ten say over half their wardrobe is preloved.

Younger consumers are leading the way in purchasing preloved items, valuing the opportunity to obtain desirable products at a lower cost. However, older generations (Baby Boomers and the Silent Generation) are more reluctant, concerns about quality, the perceived inconvenience of searching for suitable items, and their established purchasing habits continue to pose barriers. As resale and rental markets continue to grow, building trust, providing hygiene reassurance, and ensuring convenience will be key to achieving mainstream adoption.

Travel: good intentions undone by convenience

Most people (79%) say they consider their carbon footprint when travelling, but many in our survey still took short car journeys under two miles in the last week. When asked what would make it easier to travel sustainably, people pointed to more reliable and affordable public transport and lower-cost electric vehicles, echoing a national trend where cost and convenience continue to outweigh conscience.

Closing the gap

Across all behaviours, the story is consistent; the public’s environmental concern is genuine, but real-world friction make sustainable choices effortful or inconvenient. The Climate Change Committee’s 2025 progress review notes the same issue; the UK’s challenge is not awareness, but implementation.

So what can help close the gap?

1. Standardise and simplify: Align recycling rules nationwide and offer clear, immediate feedback at kerbside or via apps.
2. Design for busy lives: Support food management with portion/pack sizes, meal-planning tools, and storage prompts.
3. Make low-carbon options convenient: Improve public transport reliability and affordability, to reduce short car journeys, and increase take-up of EV vehicles through the provision of more affordable options.
4. Normalise sustainable choices: Bring preloved into the mainstream through trusted retailers and transparent quality standards.

The UK doesn’t have an awareness problem, it has an execution problem. People want to act sustainably, but our systems don’t yet make it sufficiently convenient to ensure such actions becomes smooth, automatic habits. Encouragingly, almost half (47%) of the respondents in our survey believe responsibility should be shared between individuals, businesses, and governments at local, national and global level. Closing the say–do gap will depend on this collaboration, turning climate conscious intention into everyday action.

You can read more about our sustainability research here and if your organisation is looking for insight to support your sustainability strategy, please get in touch: Gill Redfern, Research Director, gredfern@djsresearch.com.

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