Seven out of ten Romanians (71%) believe that organic products are good for health, and more than half of consumers said they buy such products at least once a week, according to the fourth annual edition of the National Barometer on Romanians' perceptions and behaviors related to sustainability and how they have evolved in the period 2022-2025.
According to the study, published on Tuesday, almost three quarters (72%) of Romanians believe that their actions matter most, and 80% want sustainable products to bring them clear and immediate benefits, such as positive health impacts, while 78% mentioned the satisfaction of needs as a benefit.
Organic products continue to be aspirational for Romanians, who increasingly perceive them as being good for their health (71% in 2025, up from 66% in 2024), environmentally friendly (67%, up from 62% in 2024) and of superior quality (60%, up from 54%). More than half of Romanians (53%) buy organic products at least once a week, especially young people from generation Z (62%) and older people without a partner (60%). The main reasons for choosing these products are health benefits (66%), safety for family and children (42%) and better taste (37%).
In context, sustainable initiatives are most often associated with the energy (37%), food and drink (37%) and retail (25%) sectors, while responsible use of resources (29%) and recycling (24%) are the main characteristics associated with sustainability.
According to the cited source, environmental protection is the first word that Romanians spontaneously associate with sustainability (20%), the percentage registering a significant increase compared to 2024 (14%) and similar to the percentages of 2022 (17%) and 2023 (22%).
In terms of the main attributes associated with sustainability, the responsible use of resources remains at the top of Romanians' perceptions, being mentioned by 29% of respondents. Also, recycling remains an important element in this definition, this segment being indicated by 24% of the participants, a similar percentage to the one registered in the previous year.
"In contrast to last year, innovation in technology is becoming increasingly important in this process, with the percentage of those who consider it a key factor increasing from 47% to 64%. In Romanians' view, the main motivations for adopting a sustainable model at the societal level are protecting the environment (42%) and reducing waste (41%, up 6% compared to 2024). The main barriers to adopting environmentally responsible practices and behaviors remain the high cost of sustainable products (47%) and consumer distrust of the sustainability of products and services (46%)," the study says.
As regards the sustainable attributes of products, there is a significant shift in the priorities of Romanians in 2025, who place much greater emphasis on the concrete and immediate benefits of products. Thus, the most important sustainable characteristics for them are that the product is beneficial for health (80%, compared to 56% in 2024) and that it is effective in meeting consumer needs (78%, compared to 36% in 2024).
In terms of frequency of sustainable behaviors, most Romanians adopt habits such as separate collection of recyclable waste and depositing it in dedicated bins (76%) and use of reusable bags (75%), while 65% choose products with recyclable packaging.
Recycled paper (47%), recyclable plastics (46%) and glass (32%) are among the most sustainable packaging.
At the same time, most Romanians (55%) say they care about the sustainability of their products, but also consider price. For example, 41% would be willing to pay up to 10% more for a sustainable product and 18% would be willing to pay 11%-20% more.
Asked if they had heard of any sustainability initiatives or measures taken recently, only 10% of Romanians said yes. However, 73% say they have consumed or used sustainable products in the past year, especially food (51%) and clothing or footwear (26%).
"Looking to the future, Romanians want organizations and companies to support eco-friendly initiatives mainly by adopting greener technologies and processes (40%, up 4% from 2024), developing and launching sustainable products (39%) and financially supporting eco-friendly and innovative projects (37%). Iin this direction, Romanians believe to a greater extent that innovative technologies can make a significant contribution to environmental protection and sustainable development in 2025 than last year, in particular through solutions for recycling and recovery of waste (75%, compared to 71% in 2024) and by reducing energy and resource consumption (74%, compared to 70% in 2024)," reveal the results centralized in the study.
The study was conducted online by Reveal Marketing Research, in collaboration with Kaufland Romania and Pro TV, between April 15-20, on a sample of 1,004 respondents, with a maximum sampling error of +/-3.1% and a confidence level of 95%.
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