Large retailers are optimistic about expected sales for the Christmas season, with sales expected to rise by between 5 and 10 % compared to last year. According to surveys by various associations and companies, Spaniards expect to spend more on Christmas shopping than last year, with an average expenditure of around 400 euros. In this context of increased consumption, sustainability is increasingly becoming a key issue for consumers, who prioritise brands that offer loyalty programmes and show a genuine commitment to environmental and social causes. Along the same lines, Aqualia's 4th  Sustainable Behaviour Barometer, compiled from the results of its Sosteniblometro, shows an increase in the commitment of citizens to adapt to a sustainable consumption model and to adopt habits that minimise the amount of waste generated.

The figures of this fourth wave, which show the results for the period between 5 June and 28 November of this year, reflect a greater awareness of the sustainable use of water and compliance with the 3Rs - reduce, reuse and recycle - through daily habits that minimise the impact on the environment, while also saving resources and energy.

Aqualia's Sosteniblometro is the first sustainable behaviour and habit meter for citizens and, as such, it provides information of interest on the actions that citizens have more or less acquired in their daily lives in terms of responsible and sustainable behaviour. The tool, a simple 10-question test available on the website sosteniblometro.com, has collected the answers of more than 12,000 participants since its launch in January 2022.

Conclusions of the 4th Aqualia Barometer  

The public's awareness of the need to limit the consumption of water and energy resources in order to save and care for the environment, as well as their commitment to reuse and recycle, is reflected in the results of this latest survey. Thus, 100% of the people surveyed take food out of the freezer in good time so as not to defrost it with hot water; and the same percentage avoids leaving the heating on when they leave the house for several hours. In addition, the percentage of people who say that they turn off the shower tap while soaping up rises to 93.3%. 94.4 % of people are aware of the 3Rs rule: reduce, reuse and recycle, and 97 % of those surveyed put paper and cardboard in the appropriate bin (2% more than in the previous survey); the same percentage also put leftover food away for another day.

In addition, 47.3% of respondents say they ask for tap water in restaurants instead of bottled water.

Some of the habits that still have room for improvement are related to putting water to a second use at home. Only 38.24% have a basin at hand to collect water from the shower until it comes out hot and use it later; and 41.94% reuse water from cooking vegetables to water plants. Finally, only 37.5% of those surveyed have an appliance that runs on renewable energy.

This responsible consumption is particularly noticeable among young people. This is revealed by the latest study "The Savvy Consumer: A New Mindset", which highlights that, on social networks, the conversation on sustainability has increased by 32%, reflecting a growing concern, especially among the younger generations, for this issue.

Ranking of the most sustainable provinces

Lugo, Jaen, Zaragoza, La Rioja, Tenerife and Murcia are, in this wave, the "most sustainable provinces", as they are the ones whose participation and correct answers have shown the most sustainable behaviour. The measure of the greater or lesser sustainability is the index obtained from the ratio between the scores (sostenipuntos) and the number of participants in each province. 

The 1st Barometer was presented in June 2022 and, since then, Aqualia periodically publishes the results of this study to inform and encourage citizens to continue measuring their level of sustainability in their daily habits. It also reminds them that, once the test has been completed, they automatically obtain the result of how sustainable they are in their daily lives, obtaining information on which habits can be corrected and how to do so through sustainable tips to implement in their daily habits. 

Aqualia, as the first company in the sector to be certified by AENOR in the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), emphasises that water is fundamental for development and can be a driver of change to promote a fairer society, one of the challenges of the 2030 Agenda.