Marcus Leroux, The Times 26 Dec 08;
The credit crunch has helped to change the attitude of some parents towards Christmas, a poll for The Times suggests. They have increasingly come to believe that undisciplined consumption, often a feature of the festive season, can damage the environment and that they should take into account ethical sourcing and sustainability when choosing presents.
The Populus survey of ethically and environmentally aware parents - concerned consumers - also found a slight reversal of the trend towards believing that the festival has lost its Christian significance and become over-commercialised.
About 17 per cent of concerned consumers said that they would take into account the ethical and environmental provenance of a present “to a great extent” - an increase of 6 per cent over last December.
The number of respondents who agreed that Christmas damages the environment also rose by 6 per cent to 53 per cent of concerned consumers. Fewer now believe that the religious message of Christmas is lost: 83 per cent believe so, down from 88 per cent last year. About 89 per cent of respondents continue to believe that Christmas is too commercial, and although they remain in a huge majority, their number has shrunk from the 93 per cent figure recorded a year ago.
David Lourie, an analyst for Good Business, the ethical consultancy, believes that the economic downturn has shifted the attitude of concerned consumers to Christmas.
“Very noticeably, we are seeing people now, as their hand is forced, spending more time doing family things, perhaps not spending as much money on as many things as before,” Mr Lourie said.
“And that has led people to consider what Christmas is about. People now just think a bit more about their personal impact on the environment; a little bit more about the environmental impact of the toys and presents and the general excess.”
This reappraisal has also led to a swing back towards traditional presents for children, such as board games and Lego. Nearly 80 per cent of concerned consumers said that decisions by manufacturers to make more traditional games was a positive development.
This is perhaps an understandable response as parents seek cheaper forms of entertainment and revert to pastimes that they enjoyed in their youth, Mr Lourie said.
HobbyCraft, the arts and crafts superstore chain, is one of the businesses that has been able to benefit from the trend with its children's craft section. Chris Crombie, chief executive of HobbyCraft, said: “We see it as a real antidote to computer games or sitting in front of the television.”
John Lewis, the retail chain, said recently that sales of Scrabble were 23 times higher than last year - albeit boosted by a re-issue - while sales of Trivial Pursuit had tripled. Monopoly sales are up 13 per cent on last year, perhaps ironically, since the boost has come in the midst of a prolonged property slump. Scalextric sales have risen by 53 per cent on last year.
The general perception by concerned consumers of a toy company's environmental and social standard depends heavily on how wholesome its toys are perceived to be, Mr Lourie says.
As a result, Lego and Early Learning Centre, now owned by Mothercare, were the two businesses most highly rated by parents in terms of social and environmental performance. Hasbro, the maker of X-Men and Action Man toys, finished at the foot of the table, despite showing the best improvement.
Mattel has climbed to the middle of the table, perhaps surprising in the wake of last year's lead-paint recall, after suppliers in China were found to have used coatings with high levels of lead. The Barbie maker also featured in the news this year by winning a case brought against MGA, the maker of Bratz dolls. The designer of Bratz was found to have worked on the design while employed by Mattel. The unladylike spat does not seem to have dented Mattel's credibility.
Yet the safety of toys made in the developing world remains the top concern for parents. “These are the same concerns as in other sectors, but with toys they are heightened because children are involved,” Mr Lourie said.
The sharp increase - from 30 per cent to 37 per cent - in consumers who want to see toy companies move production to their home countries reflects these worries. The second concern is the way that toys are advertised to children, but the findings show that concerned consumers are against a blanket ban, such as that proposed for under-fives by the National Family and Parenting Institute.
About 97 per cent of concerned consumers agreed that advertisements for toys encouraged children to press their parents to buy the items, but 61 per cent saw nothing wrong in this.
Mr Lourie said: “This may be read as parents saying that children are fair game to advertisers, but I think their understanding is that, at the end of the day, they have the responsibility to say ‘no'.”
