Sustainability-Marketed Products Capture Over 25% of U.S. CPG Market, Driving Growth Amid Uncertainty
The 2025 Sustainable Market Share Index shows that CPG products marketed with sustainable attributes increased market share by 1.6 percentage points since last year
Chicago, April 15, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The NYU Stern Center for Sustainable Business (CSB) and Circana LLC released the 2025 update of the CSB Sustainable Market Share Index™ in a new research report titled Sustainability in U.S. CPG: Inside the Consumer Mindset. Now in its seventh year, this annual report offers an analysis of the latest national purchasing data for consumer packaged goods (CPG) products marketed as sustainable. The latest study reveals that sustainability-marketed products have reached 25.4% of CPG dollar share in the United States, up 1.6 percentage points versus the prior year, firmly establishing sustainability as a primary growth engine for the industry.
The research demonstrates that sustainability-marketed items are vastly outperforming conventional alternatives. These products achieved a five-year compound annual growth rate of 10.9%, growing nearly five times faster than conventionally marketed goods. Furthermore, despite representing a quarter of the market, sustainability-marketed products have contributed to nearly half of all total CPG market growth since 2013.
Consumer expectations are shifting rapidly alongside this market expansion. The study found that 85% of consumers believe it is important that name-brand product manufacturers practice sustainability, representing a five-point increase from the previous year. Younger generations routinely factor sustainability into their brand evaluations, signaling a lasting generational shift in purchasing decisions.
Despite financial pressures, consumers continue to value sustainability and are willing to pay an average 9% premium for sustainability features. With current market premiums still higher on average, this gap presents an opportunity for brands to unlock growth by aligning sustainability with clear consumer value.
"Consumers increasingly view 'healthy for me' and 'healthy for the planet' as intertwined outcomes, driving a stronger preference for products that signal both," said Lauren Hazenfield, principal of CPG Thought Leadership Advisory at Circana. "Brands that deliver clear, personally relevant sustainability benefits are successfully driving consumer value."
"The continued expansion of sustainability-marketed products, now capturing over a quarter of the market, demonstrates that sustainability is a proven engine for resilient growth," said Randi Kronthal-Sacco, senior scholar at the NYU Stern Center for Sustainable Business. "Despite economic uncertainty, these products are expanding at more than five times the rate of conventional alternatives, proving that consumers are actively voting with their wallets for sustainable choices."
About Circana
Circana is a leader in providing technology, AI, and data to fast-moving consumer packaged goods companies, durables manufacturers, and retailers seeking to optimize their businesses. Circana’s predictive analytics and technology empower clients to measure their market share, understand the underlying consumer behavior driving it, and accelerate their growth. Circana’s Liquid Data® technology platform is powered by an expansive, high-quality data set and intelligent algorithms trained on six decades of domain expertise. With Circana, clients can take immediate action to future-proof and evolve their growth strategies amid an increasingly complex, fast-paced, and ever-changing economy. Learn more at circana.com.
About NYU Stern Center for Sustainable Business
The NYU Stern Center for Sustainable Business was founded on the principle that sustainable business is good business. We provide education, conduct research, and influence industry practice by proving the financial value of sustainability for business management and performance. At CSB, we aim to equip future and current corporate leaders with updated business frameworks that embrace proactive and innovative mainstreaming of sustainability, resulting in competitive advantage and resiliency for their companies as well as a positive impact for society. The Sustainable Market Share Index™ is an annual research initiative to analyze the purchasing behaviors for consumer packaged goods marketed as sustainable.
Learn more at stern.nyu.edu/sustainability or follow us on LinkedIn @NYU Stern Center for Sustainable Business.
Shelley Hughes Circana +1 312-731-1782 Shelley.Hughes@Circana.com
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