Passenger Terminal World - Passenger Terminal World January 2026
Conscious consumerism
Kevin Rozarid 2025-12-07 12:39:30
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Cause & EFFECT
Are airports aware of conscious consumerism? Those that are adapting to customers’ retail concerns are discovering the benefits this can bring
Values – the principles we believe in – took center stage when the global duty-free industry gathered at the 2025 TFWA Exhibition and Conference in Cannes, France, in September/October. Though price still has a role in airport shopping, other factors are now in play – particularly for younger travelers.
At the TFWA event, Bobby Jones – a best-selling author and co-founder of the Conspiracy of Love brand consultancy – made the case for ‘purposeful business’ driven by fundamental shifts in the way passengers approach shopping. In his keynote presentation, Jones said that we are living in an age of “consumer alertness to new expressions” encompassing identity, causes consumers care about and issues they want to help solve.
He told the audience, “Your brands and your retail spaces are where they go to create that expression. For the next generation, purpose isn’t a premium, it’s the price of entry.” He encouraged travel retail businesses to adapt by embracing purpose, sustainability and authenticity in order to forge stronger connections with today’s travelers.
Jones used the Cascadia Collection store at Canada’s Vancouver Airport (see YVR shows the way, below) as a good example of bringing art and culture to life in an airport shopping space. “For brands, this is a model partnership,” he said. “Airports are no longer just the landlords. For retailers, it’s proof that you can be different by using place-based concepts to make travelers feel at home.”
This message is not lost on Singapore Changi Airport. When Jewel Changi Airport renewed its strategic collaboration with Mastercard in October 2025, following three successful years of joint initiatives, there was an acknowledgment that consumers have changed.
"Conscious consumption means recognizing the impact of our choices" Swapnal Kulkarni-Chouhan, Munich Airport
Deborah Heng, Mastercard’s country manager for Singapore, explains, “We have entered an era where purposeful and meaningful experiences define travel. The extended collaboration with Jewel Changi Airport plays a pivotal role in meeting these shifting priorities head-on.”
Since the collaboration began in October 2022, the partnership has delivered growth in local and tourist spending, with as many as 30 marketing campaigns launched by Jewel to stimulate retail and dining spending. These have delivered experiences that inspire loyalty, strengthen connection and help consumers “create unforgettable memories,” according to Changi.
The impact of our choices
Munich Airport International (MAI) has also taken a clear position. Swapnal Kulkarni-Chouhan, the head of the competence center (airport management and commercial), comments, “Conscious consumerism is often talked about in terms of what we buy: ethically sourced products, sustainable packaging or fashion made from recycled materials. But it’s much more. It’s not just about shopping smarter, it’s about living more aware. Conscious consumption means recognizing the impact of our choices – not just when we purchase something but in how we travel, eat and even use technology. It’s about lifestyle as much as it is about spending.”
Kulkarni-Chouhan adds, “The travel sector – particularly air travel – is emerging as an important frontier for conscious consumption. With carbon footprints under greater scrutiny, people are reevaluating how often they fly, where they holiday, opting for trains on shorter routes, or combining business and leisure trips. And airport retail is becoming a reflection of this shift. Traditionally designed around impulse and convenience, airports are now responding to a generation who are seeking purchases that align with their values.”
This all has to start somewhere, and sustainability is the central pillar on which all the global duty-free operators, including Avolta, Gebr. Heinemann and Lagardère Travel Retail, have initially focused.
Heinemann claims that, “Our 2030 sustainability goals are the most ambitious in global travel retail.” At the airport-store level, the company has developed a concept called Responsible Choice, which was finalized at the end of 2024. Copenhagen Airport was one of the first locations to roll it out, and it is also highlighted in the retailer’s online offer. To have the Responsible Choice designation, products need to successfully pass a third-party supplier evaluation. They are then rated by Heinemann based on 12 attributes, including organic, recycled packaging, vegan and refillable. Such ratings and signposting help direct conscious consumers to these products.
France has mandated that 10% of all packaging must be reusable by 2027 European Environment Agency
A 2024 survey by ACI World found that sustainability has become a key expectation within airports, from dining to shopping. The report said, “Travelers are drawn to brands with ethical and eco-friendly practices, impacting their retail choices. Younger passengers, in particular, are eager to adjust their behavior to support sustainability, and are highly interested in airport initiatives focused on this area.”
"We are rolling out partnerships to fight food waste" Gaëlle Ortega, Lagardère Travel Retail
Creating a responsible offer
Lagardère Travel Retail is adapting to these demands through its well-established We Care, We Do program, which operates across all its business lines – Duty Free & Fashion, Dining and Travel Essentials. A set methodology is used to assess brands and products against environmental and social criteria, and more than 50 brands are part of the program.
The company’s project manager for its ‘responsible offer’, Gaëlle Ortega, tells PTW, “We see a clear increase in conscious consumerism among travelers, especially in Europe and among younger generations such as millennials and Gen Z. Travelers are increasingly selective about what they buy. Sustainable packaging remains the top priority globally, while guarantees regarding ethical working practices and human rights are gaining importance, notably in Europe.”
Lagardère is also testing refillable products in beauty (perfume, makeup, skincare), which has been championed by multinationals such as L’Oréal, and bulk options in F&B, which enable passengers to reduce packaging.
Furthermore, the retailer is promoting organic wines and spirits, and non-alcoholic alternatives, answering to health concerns – another growing trend. Ortega adds, “We are also rolling out partnerships to fight food waste, such as Too Good To Go. This new expiry-date management tool was recently launched in airports in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.”
Tim Nash, curator of Shop Drop Daily (a site featuring branded concepts from around the world) told global foresight agency The Future Laboratory that travel retail needs to spend more time simplifying its mission. “Instead of asking, ‘What’s trending?’, retailers should ask, ‘What’s meaningful here?’” However, when it comes to conscious consumers, that question can be sliced in many ways.
MAI’s Kulkarni-Chouhan says that locally sourced goods, refillable beauty and low-impact packaging are all on the meaningful spectrum. “Their rise shows that travelers increasingly favor brands and experiences that reflect regional culture and environmental care,” she notes. “Yet, to date, much of airport retail still revolves around over-consumption, last-minute indulgences and excess packaging.”
The global wellness economy was valued at US$6.8tn in 2024 Global Wellness Institute
MAI believes that the next stage of conscious consumerism will challenge these aspects as sustainability becomes more of a default, even in transient airport environments. “And across the board, there’s a renewed appreciation for localism: supporting nearby farmers, independent makers and circular businesses that repair or repurpose. These actions not only reduce waste but rebuild community and reconnect people with purpose,” says Kulkarni-Chouhan.
The right messaging
Melvin Broekaart, a long-time observer of travel retail, says that value-based decision-making is on the rise. “Passengers increasingly expect brands at airports to align with their personal values. This doesn’t always mean paying more; it means feeling that their purchase ‘does good,’” he says.
To elicit that ‘do-gooder’ feeling, Broekaart says three elements are needed: transparency, purpose and quality over quantity. “Passengers want to know where a product comes from, who made it and how it impacts the planet and communities. Mission-driven brands – whether rooted in sustainability, inclusion, or well-being – are outperforming because they give shoppers something to identify with.” He adds that the ‘buy less, buy better’ mindset is also a good fit with airport retail, “where people are often looking for something special and lasting, not just convenient.”
However, even that well-established idea may be morphing, or even reversing. MAI’s Kulkarni- Chouhan notes, “Consumers are increasingly questioning the need to constantly upgrade – whether it’s fashion, tech or home décor. Repairing, reusing and extending the life of what we already own has become a quiet rebellion against throwaway culture.”
What is certain is the desperate need to engage passengers. Broekaart is the founder of Narraid, a company that uses podcasts to help retail staff deliver better customer interactions through compelling brand narratives. The concept came out of the thinking that although airport shoppers are more conscious, they aren’t always more informed. “The intent is there, yet the communication gap between brand values and the passenger often remains wide,” Broekaart says.
In that context, the next step for travel retail is what Broekaart calls “radical clarity”: making certain values stand out and understandable to time-pressed passengers. Hence Narraid’s focus on empowering frontline staff to explain the key messaging in a way that gets travelers to respond. “The sales outcome improves, but so does the overall passenger experience,” says Broekaart.
"The communication gap between brand values and the passenger often remains wide" Melvin Broekaart, Narraid
Also aligned on this is Blueprint, a business development agency specialized in travel retail. Partner Thomas Kaneko Henningsen says, “Airport personnel and in-store staff who interact with travelers should be trained in hospitality. Airport staff can leverage AI-powered insight about their guests, thereby extending a personalized welcome. In-store, staff can showcase a variety of purpose-driven concepts: refill fragrance bars, pre-loved luxury corners, QR codes explaining ethical sourcing, and F&B menus promoting locally produced ingredients. This closely connects consumers with the makers behind each product.”
Kaneko Henningsen adds, “A quiet revolution is underway. Conscious travelers are thinking differently, not just about where they go, but what they buy and what their choices say about them. Conscious consumerism has arrived in airport retail and it’s reshaping what it means to shop on the go. Long gone are the days when airport shoppers were satisfied with duty-free deals alone. Today, consumers value purpose as much as product, experience as much as convenience, and authenticity as much as price.”
Everyone agrees that Gen Z is driving much of this revolution. By 2028, this will become the biggest demographic in airports, accounting for 1.2 billion travelers. By 2030, this cohort is set to become the most powerful consumer generation in history, representing US$12tn in global spending power, according to the Spend Z report from NielsenIQ and GfK (in collaboration with World Data Lab).
Kaneko Henningsen observes, “They are the world’s first digital natives, who are globally aware and expect airports to embrace and reflect their conscious lifestyles. From product transparency and geopolitically influenced shopping to AI-powered social commerce, airports are facing a fast-changing consumer landscape. Going forward, the competitive divide will be between airports that deliver meaningful shopping journeys for Gen Z lifestyle travelers and those who don’t.”
Values: The new battleground
In Blueprint’s assessment, the airports that will thrive commercially will be those that turn conscious consumerism from obligation into inspiration. “Curating with purpose, designing experiences that reflect values, and using AI technology to hyper-personalize ethical choices are all important next steps,” says Kaneko Henningsen. “Airports that act boldly today will lead tomorrow – a creative force that redefines how we shop on the go.”
But that is yet to happen. Broekaart notes that although some airports are making excellent progress through sustainable F&B operations, green building design, and selling more local and ethical brands, the retail ecosystem hasn’t fully caught up. “Conscious consumerism is still treated as a marketing theme rather than a design principle,” he says.
Portland Design, a specialist in creating airport retail shopping environments worldwide, believes that conscious consumerism is working at two levels: the role of businesses in society and consumers’ perceptions of those businesses, and at the products and services level.
Managing director Ibrahim Ibrahim comments, “At the higher level, the days of businesses outperforming, outpricing, out-innovating and out-servicing their competitors are over. They now have to think about out-behaving them. That’s the key because values are the new battleground.
“Airports are in a vulnerable position when that values mindset takes hold,” he adds, “because they are often perceived as expensive, with charges for everything, including drop-offs, and with the same-looking retail offers. Airports don’t take enough account of passenger attitudes: their stress in an unfamiliar environment on the one hand, and adrenaline-driven excitement on the other. This calls for a duty of care.”
40+ retail experts will share their views at this year’s PTE World in London See the event website for the full conference program
Ibrahim believes that brands will be the ultimate drivers of conscious consumerism at airports. “Brands are becoming more about community and increasingly resonant to culture,” he says. This is the subject of his upcoming book about the intersection of brands, culture and place.
How fandom fits in
“The big word for brands in the future will be ‘fandom,’ which will transcend ‘customer,’” says Ibrahim. “This moves the conversation beyond a transaction. The shift to fandom is very much about the way you behave, and about ethics.”
"In-store staff who interact with travelers should be trained in hospitality" Thomas Kaneko Henningsen, Blueprint
According to a 2022 PwC customer loyalty survey, 40% of consumers stopped buying from certain brands because of their behavior (including how they treat employees, their environmental impact and their public values).
Meanwhile, some brands have gained loyal followings because of their good behavior, the most notable example being outdoor label Patagonia, with its core values of environmental activism, transparency and anti-consumerism. In 2022, the founder gave away the entire company to a trust and a non-profit organization to fund causes related to nature and biodiversity.
Other brands inspiring customer loyalty include The Body Shop, Just Water and meal-kit player HelloFresh. Airport retailers will have to become more selective in their brand choices as consumers look for those that walk the talk rather than simply throwing around questionable marketing claims. And it will be up to airport landlords to enforce that type of selection through carefully worded concession agreements.
MAI’s Kulkarni-Chouhan’s sums it up: “In the end, conscious consumerism isn’t just about what we buy – it’s about how we live. It’s about slowing down, making intentional choices and recognizing that even small moments – like what we pick up at an airport – contribute to a larger story: one of awareness, accountability and meaningful change.”
YVR shows the way
Since August 2025, passengers traveling through Vancouver International Airport’s domestic departures lounge have been able to visit a new Cascadia Collection open-concept walkthrough store.
The store aims to blend travel convenience with elevated and locally inspired retail. It features North America’s first airport listening room, where customers can test premium headphones in an immersive lounge environment.
Cascadia Collection also promotes sustainable luxury, offering a selection of pre-loved designer bags from iconic brands such as Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Dior and Gucci.
The store has been developed in partnership with WHSmith North America, and also offers a mix of travel essentials, locally crafted goods and indigenous-made products that reflect the spirit and culture of British Columbia.
Every purchase at YVR contributes to the airport’s not-for-profit model, with profits reinvested into infrastructure, sustainability programs and community initiatives. Retail revenues also generate significant economic impact, supporting thousands of jobs and funding future improvements.
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