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Given our economic climate, it’s a reasonable question to ask whether the green revolution has sputtered. Recent research indicates that consumer enthusiasm for green has waned in some areas. Yankelovich’s “Going Green 2” study found that consumers’ willingness to pay more for green alternatives has decreased. There’s evidence that companies have cut back their budgets for environmental and philanthropic initiatives, and climate change legislation will most likely stall or not be as favorable to the environment as was originally predicted.
But it’s not all bad news. According to the same Yankelovich study, environmentalism is developing among U.S. consumers — especially among Echo Boomers (ages 16-29) and GenXers (ages 30-43), who both said they are more concerned about the environment than they were a year ago. And even more mainstream consumers are responding positively to companies who successfully convey personal benefits in the green attributes of a product. A great example is Clorox Green Works’ household cleaning products that use 99 percent natural, non-petrochemical ingredients. Clorox doesn’t overtly tout the environmental attributes but instead emphasizes a “healthy home” and “living a more natural life.” First year sales have been well over $40 million.
The bottom line is that green is still quite relevant and will likely become increasingly so, continuing to change the landscape in which companies do business and consumers buy products and services. It just might be at a slightly slower rate.
Arlene Fairfield
Global Change Network, in partnership with DDB BIG
arlene@arlenefairfield.com
This page contains a single entry from the blog posted on October 29, 2008 4:20 PM.
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Comments (2)
-jG
Sputtering Green. This is an interesting idea. We can certainly look to the economy, but my fear is that the environment will become something that it can't - a cause du jour. This country has a sad history of taking up arms against a cause in very public, very fanatical ways, only to forget about them after the initial party ends (think: AIDS, homelessness, poverty). But here's the thing. There's big reason to believe again. I have hope. And you should too. Perhaps last night's election will revitalize a lot of community and volunteering efforts. The Obama mindset is one of giving, taking care, and pitching in. Hopefully, aside from buying green products, we'll see some larger tectonic shifts in the expectations and approaches to the greening of the country throughout the nation. As the new prez sez: last night was just the opening of the door to change. That the proof comes now as we commit ourselves to making that change real. Green is a great place to start.
Posted by -jG | November 5, 2008 5:33 PM
Pamela Long
It certainly seems likely that the environment has taken a hit due to our current economic crisis. In the package design industry however, where I spend most of my time, environmental concerns are at an all time high. Companies see the tangible savings in the form of reduced packaging costs, and the need to stay competitive with the increasing amount of "green" products entering the marketplace. A recent Mintel study found that nearly 30% of all U.S. beauty products launched this year were organic, ethical or all natural. We are seeing that trend across most categories. It's interesting to consider that perhaps the reason fewer people are willing to pay more is due to the sheer magnitude of eco-friendly products entering the mainstream - products that are allowing consumers to go green without carrying a premium price tag.
Posted by Pamela Long | November 5, 2008 8:32 PM