Is Anybody Watching? The Green Gap Survey Reveals Consumers Want Regulation of Environmental Claims
Some scary truths about consumers’ assumptions could lead to a “green” backlash concludes The Green Gap Survey, released this week by Cone LLC and The Boston College Center for Corporate Citizenship.
We in the business of making environmentally friendly and natural product know that little regulation exists around the terms, “green,” “environmentally friendly,” and “natural.” But, consumers don’t and are, perhaps naively, trusting.
- 47 percent trust companies to tell them the truth in environmental messaging
- 45 percent believe companies are accurately communicating information about their impact on the environment
- 61 percent of Americans say they understand the environmental terms companies use in their advertising
The survey found that almost half of those surveyed believing that anything marked “green” or “environmentally friendly” was good for the environment. Not quite a quarter really understood use of the terms in any meaningful way. (Who were these guys? I’m not sure I understand!)
“The gap creates significant risk of embarrassment for companies and disillusionment for consumers,” says Mike Lawrence, executive vice president of corporate responsibility, Cone LLC. “Activists are closely monitoring green claims and can quickly share information online about the actual environmental impact of a product. The result can be accusations that a company is engaging in ‘greenwashing’ and is misleading the public.”
Fortunately for eco-entrepreneurs, consumers seem to be interested in policing the use of misleading terms. The survey found that consumers want regulation. Over 75% want certification by third party organizations and/or government regulation.
That puts large and small manufacturers and consumers on the same page. Just in time for the FTC, Eco In The Market workshop on April 30th. The results should be interesting.
Related Posts:
How to Reach Green Consumers - Using Psychographics To Define Your Target Market
Sustainability: an Essential Part of Business Planning
Natural Means “Nothing” – What Does Everything Else Mean?
Natural Marketing Institute, Nielsen Value LOHAS Mart At $209 bn
Marketing is marketing. The responsibility to use standards concerning how green, green is lies with the guys making the dollars using the term. To keep lying creeps out, get a figure headed trademark name, like the ‘Queen of England’ or ‘Yale University’ to approve the terms used of a given product for a fee - Donate the fee to poor students that need help and its in the bag. No donation, no proof of greeness, no ‘certification’.
Not sure I agree on the lack of ‘certification’—because like junk food, the FDA has failed consumers immeasurably in the self-congratulatory mind-boggling bogusness.
From what I’m gleaning from our own readership on Shaping Youth, parents are frustrated and exhausted…they WANT to do the right thing, but need accurate info, and don’t have the time or inclination to tenaciously deconstruct every bit of minutiae to second-guess the motives of corporate America…
Life’s too busy for us as it is, and we just want the labeling standardized so we can make our choices based on a sound set of criteria that at least is universally consistent…THEN we can springboard our value systems from there…
MC, I think this goes to the concept we discussed on critical thinking skills … to apply analysis to ‘greenwashing’ etc.—Personally, this could put an end to those silly self-awarded claims and packaging snipes within product categories that befuddle consumers relentlessly, when they’re really just ‘lesser evils’ of the company’s own product line (like Pepsi’s ’smart choices made easy’ or Sensible Solutions, etc. etc.
I’m all for the regulatory framing for accuracy, and I’m about as centrist and ‘both sides’ of the issue as they come…seems like the study is worthy of heeding to me.
We’re working on this over at ecolabelling.org. We’re working on v2 of the site right now with the goal of making it easer for consumers to arm themselves with credible ecolabels. Suggestions welcome!
Jacob,
I actually looked at your site and was planning on discussing it in another article. Anything you can share with me - please do!
OOOh….Jacob and MC, pls. keep me posted on this, as it’s a critical conundrum for us all…