Green products are still selling despite the economic downturn

According to a recent study by Green Seal, an independent non-profit certification organization, and EnviroMedia Social Marketing, 4 out of 5 people said they are still buying green products and services, even in the background. The US economy is in recession.

Although these products, claimed to be environmentally friendly, often cost more, but half of the 1,000 participants in the survey said the amount of green products they bought was equivalent to before. Economic Crisis. In addition, 19% said they bought more green products, and 14% bought less.

Valerie Davis, president of EnviroMedia, said: 'This research shows that people want to act for the environment, but those actions must be convenient and easy. Companies should clearly disclose the environmental benefits of their products and services, and ensure that what they claim on TV ads must be supported on the packaging and on the website '.

Reputation and advertising

Like what many companies have found, reputation is paramount in the decision to buy green products:

• 21% of customers surveyed said the reputation of a product is the most important factor in their purchasing decision. Word of mouth is the second most important factor (19%), followed by brand loyalty (15%), and only 9% say green ads are the most important factor.

Education and labeling

Although green products are selling well, but exactly how products are qualified as 'green' , customers still don't know:

Some brands of green products (Photo: sgtt.com.vn)

• About one-third of customers said they could not distinguish whether declaring a green product was real or not

• 1 in 10 customers trust blind green product claims

• 24% of customers rated green products by reading packaging

• 17% try to understand, for example using Internet to read research.

Intention and Action

Buyers want to reduce waste, but do they maximize opportunities to reduce consumption and reuse what remains?

• 60% of survey respondents look for products that are packed with minimum, actions often associated with buying clean green products (58%)

• While 87% of respondents said they reused the leftovers, the US EPA reported that only 33% of waste was recycled.

According to Dr. Arthur Weissman, president of Green Seal: 'This research shows that customers are buying more green products. Increasing demand is a signal for manufacturers to market truly green products'.

The full results of the study will be published by Green Seal and EnviroMedia Social Marketing on the Greenwashing Forum in Portland, Ore.