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UK HOUSEHOLDS SLOWLY GOING GREEN SAYS THE CO-OPERATIVE BANKEmbargoed: Not for Publication or Broadcast before 00:01 11 December 2009

As world leaders thrash out a deal on climate change in Copenhagen, latest figuresfrom The Co-operative Bank published today (11 December) show that UKhouseholds are slowly greening their lifestyles.Despite the recession, spending on sustainable products and services over the pastyear has increased by five per cent with each UK household now spending onaverage £251 per annum on green items.The data from The Co-operative Bank’s annual Ethical Consumerism Report, whichwill be published later this month, highlights that expenditure on environmentallyfriendly products and services such as energy efficient appliances, green energy andcarbon offsetting now amounts to more than £6,400m.Tim Franklin, Chief Operating Officer at The Co-operative Bank, said: ” This reportacts as a timely reminder to political leaders that many people in the UK are workinghard to adopt a greener lifestyle.“However, whilst ethical consumers are playing a vital role in the early adoption anddevelopment of environmental products and services and now spend more than £6bnper annum, this still accounts for less than one percent of total householdexpenditure.“In order for the UK to reduce its carbon emissions by 30 per cent by 2020 there willneed to be a step-change in take-up of low carbon technologies, and this will need anew contract between business, government and the consumer.“The leadership of ethical consumers and the innovation of business work best whenbacked up by thoughtful government intervention. This has happened with whitegoods, boilers and lightbulbs – where inefficient laggards have been phased out. Wenow need to see such initiatives in a raft of new areas, such as transport andelectronic goods.”