Garden and plants
If you ask a consumer what "the garden" reminds them of, they will inevitably talk about little flowers, fruit trees, vegetable gardens... Plants are the very heart of the garden, they are its strategic centre! And in our market, therefore, plants should be our primary concern... Normally!
According to France Agrimer figures, 21.6 million households in France have a garden or terrace. Add to that the number of houseplants, and you'd almost think that plants are present in every household in France. That's more than pets, which are found in one household in two.
For each of these garden-obsessed households, the average is around 32 plants, with an annual budget of 130 euros. That's 4.10 euros per plant.
Beyond the figures, it's the impact of plants on our daily lives that's the real issue.
The more pollution increases, the more we talk about global warming, and the more our fellow citizens are looking for closer ties with nature. Many companies are moving towards tree-planting programmes to offset their carbon emissions. Plants are becoming a powerful symbol in our society. Associating your image and those of your products with plants is a good idea, provided you are irreproachable on the subject.
Green everywhere!
It all started with food:
- 3% of French people declare themselves vegan and eat only plant-based food. 8% are vegetarians.
- 34% consider themselves "Flexitarian" and very rarely eat meat.
- 42% of 25/34 year-olds like vegan food and are increasingly tempted by fruit and vegetables (Kantar/WorldPlanet study).
Pâté and sausages are much less popular, even though people will always eat some. In fact, there are several plants producers at the JdCs, and there should be even more in 2024 - plants are "taking roots" on the show!
The same goes for fashion! Clothes made from cotton or hemp are all the rage, and some consumers are also paying attention to the way clothes are produced and assembled. Even the big sneaker brands are offering recycled shoes or vegan trainers.
Car manufacturers are also getting in on the act, like "Animal", the latest creation from Spanish start-up Liux. This 100% electric car is made from 90% recycled or plant-based materials. Tesla has already replaced animal leather in its cars with vegetable leather!
Trees!
Jean-François BASTIN and Thomas CROWTHER, researchers at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zürich succeeded in determining the number of trees on our planet - there are 3,000 billion.
They have also succeeded in determining the number of trees that need to be planted to save the planet: 1,200 billion!
Yes, it's a lot, but this planting would absorb 2/3 of our CO2 emissions. And to go even further, they have created a world map of the areas to be planted, including the plots available. Plant a tree for flowers, fruit, shade... but also to help reduce CO2 emissions!
If you've committed your company to a reforestation programme, well done! And if you work in a garden centre, develop the "tree" section in the nursery by explaining its benefits! Trees will become a symbol of the future... Here's to gardening trees!
Garden Consumer Guide
In our third Garden Consumer Guide (in French only), we've decided to take a closer look at the following topics understanding of plants, their impact on consumers and their current growth despite energy costs and the decline in the number of producers. We also carried out a survey in partnership with Promesse de Fleurs, questioning over 2,000 amateur gardeners. The results of this study will be unveiled at a conference at the JdC Garden Trends 2024.
To tide you over until March in Marseille, here's a sneak preview with a simple question.
What importance do you attribute to plants in your daily life (cooking, well-being, health, gardening, etc.)?
99% of the respondents said it was between 'extremely important' and 'important'. We were expecting some reluctance, a few grumblers who were constantly dissatisfied... Not even that! Plants are the unanimous choice. Whatever your product, if you're hoping to win over a gardening customer, the gateway is likely to be through plants!
- October 2023
