The value gap: What consumers care about vs. what they’ll pay for

Today’s CPG shopper still cares deeply about sustainability, ethics and brand values. But at the same time, they’re working with tighter budgets and more scrutiny over every purchase.

The result is a steadily growing gap between what consumers say matters and what they’re actually willing to pay for.

To better understand these shifts in consumer purchasing decisions, we surveyed 2,000 US consumers and compiled learnings from Bain & Company, McKinsey, Deloitte, PwC, Infosys and more. 

Read on for a summary of our findings when it comes to purpose vs. price today.

TL;DR: Consumers still care about sustainability and brand values, but rising costs are changing things

• Values haven’t disappeared, but they’re becoming category-dependent and harder to monetize

• Willingness to pay a premium for purpose is declining across all income groups

• Lower-income consumers are being priced out of values-driven choices altogether

• Even higher-income consumers are pulling back, with willingness to pay dropping sharply since 2024

• Brand activism and boycotts are becoming less widespread and more selective

• Sustainability is shifting from a premium differentiator to a baseline expectation in many categories

Despite economic pressures, values still matter. 

A majority of consumers continue to believe that living sustainably is important and that their individual actions can make a difference.

But how that belief shows up in purchasing behavior is becoming more nuanced.

Sustainability is shifting from a differentiator to a baseline expectation in some categories. For example, in beauty, pet food and organic grocery, consumers increasingly expect sustainable options as part of the core offering, not a premium add-on (Infosys CPG Outlook 2025).

At the same time, premiumization for sustainability is becoming more selective. Consumers are willing to pay more, but only in categories where they feel flexibility in their budget or a direct personal benefit.

And then there’s the growing accountability layer. 

The risk of “greenwashing” backlash is rising as consumers become more skeptical of vague or unsubstantiated claims (Bain Consumer Products Report 2025). Now, it’s no longer enough to say a product is sustainable — brands need to prove it through transparency and credible certifications.

💡Takeaway: Values still matter, but they’re being held to a higher standard (and a tighter wallet).

If values are the intention, affordability is the reality check.

Across every income bracket, values-driven spending has declined since 2024. Roughly half (or more) of consumers now say they are not willing to pay extra for products or services from companies whose social actions align with their own.

Unsurprisingly, income plays a defining role here. 

Higher-income consumers remain the most likely to align purchases with their values, with 65% of those earning over $100K saying they’d pay at least slightly more. But even within this group, willingness has dropped significantly from 83% in 2024, an 18 point decline.

Among consumers earning under $50K, the shift is even more pronounced. For these shoppers, price pressure isn’t just influencing decisions, it’s limiting the ability to act on their values altogether.

This tension is playing out at the brand level, too. ESG commitments are increasingly colliding with economic reality. Several major CPG companies have scaled back or delayed sustainability targets as costs rise and margins tighten.

The pressure is coming from all sides:

• Investors still expect ESG progress

• Consumers demand lower prices

• Regulators across markets are moving at different speeds

Research from Deloitte suggests that 2026 will be a turning point, as the full impact of 2025’s global trade policy shifts begins to reshape sustainability commitments.

💡Takeaway: Sustainability can’t sit on top of the business as an added cost. It has to be embedded into operations as a driver of efficiency and long-term value.

Alongside spending behavior, consumer activism is evolving.

Brand boycotts are still happening, but they’re becoming less widespread and more selective. In 2025, 40% of consumers reported boycotting at least one brand, with 22% boycotting multiple.

Higher-income consumers remain the most likely to take action, with 55% of those earning over $100K reported boycotting a brand, compared to 36% of those under $50K. 

But even here, participation is declining. Among high earners, boycott behavior dropped from 67% in 2024 to 55% in 2026 — a 12 point decrease.

What’s changing isn’t just the volume of activism, but its shape. Fewer consumers are sitting in the middle with “it depends” attitudes. Instead, consumers either act decisively or disengage entirely.

💡Takeaway: This signals a broader shift away from performative or reactive activism toward more intentional, values-driven decision-making.

Today’s consumer wants value, health, convenience and brands that reflect their identity, but they won’t overpay to get it.

The brands that will win in this environment aren’t the ones that walk away from sustainability or social commitments, they’re the ones that build them into their business model, finding ways to deliver on both price and purpose, without asking consumers to choose between them.