French people will have a more ethical Christmas this year, survey says

This year, more people will eat, shop and give responsibly

A recently published study by Ipsos for E.Leclerc made in October 2018 claims that for this year’s Christmas holidays, French people are getting all the more conscious of the ethical dimensions of their presents and meals. Thus, 27% of the surveyed have been able to relate to the idea of responsible consumption.

Despite the high popularity of the traditions related to Christmas celebrations (around 9 out of every 10 people will have a special meal on the occasion of Christmas and will participate in its preparation), the dinner of which normally includes foie gras, salmon, mussels and abundance of meals, the number of those who choose responsible consumption is significant. Therefore, more surveyed people are trying to select predominantly products respecting the environment, and particularly such with high quality. As high as 30% of the surveyed declare that they will refuse to taste a meal if it is not compliant with their ethical standards and values.

And the same goes for the presents, which 97% of the surveyed will exchange:  4 out of 10 will count on eco-friendly presents, made of recyclable materials, pre-owned or will make the presents themselves, acknowledging that Christmas is turning too much into a commercial event, than a traditional family gathering with religious background.

Moreover, several French mayors have appealed to their fellow citizens to shop local for their Christmas presents, thereby stimulating the local economy and small businesses. Some went even further by undertaking concrete measures to facilitate as much as possible local shopping, either by improving the schedule of the public transport, by making it free or opening free parking in the city centre.