Forget ‘Dark Green’ Shoppers – ‘New Consumers’ Will Drive Sustainability, Report Says

Environmental Leader, March 25, 2011

Brands can no longer rely on “dark green”, hyper-ethical consumers to drive the growth of sustainability, but must engage a broad swathe of consumers making up 30 percent of the market, according to new research.
Brand consulting firm BBMG said a group of 70 million shoppers branded “New Consumers”, making up 30 percent of the U.S. population, will help sustainable brands to enter the mainstream while forcing large brands to accelerate their adoption of environmental initiatives.
These shoppers are “values aspirational” because they are as interested in sustainability as the hard-core “dark green” consumers. But they are also “practical purchasers” because they are forced to make pragmatic trade-offs every day, according to the BBMG report, Unleashed: How New Consumers Will Revolutionize Brands and Scale Sustainability. Read more...

Employees Directed to Use ‘Green’ Hotels

Environmental Leader, November 09, 2009

As more companies consider the environmental impact of their business travel, employees increasingly are being asked to stay in hotels that meet certain environmental standards, including “green” certification.
Some companies are going so far as to query a hotel chain about its operating practices before signing any kind of contract. Companies asking about the frequency of things such as towel washing include Oracle, KPMG and the American Institute of Architects, reports USA Today. Read more...

The Carbon Marketing Wars Have Begun

ENN, January 27, 2009

Their logos and packaging are near clones—Lay's potato chips in the United States and Walkers crisps in the United Kingdom. The story behind the similarity is that both brands are owned by PepsiCo. But a subtle difference sets them apart. Each bag of Walkers crisps carries a label stating that 75.0 grams of carbon were emitted to produce a 34.5 gram bag of chips.
In 2007, Walkers became the first major food brand to display a carbon label on its packaging. The label was the result of collaboration between PepsiCo and Carbon Trust, a British-government-funded nonprofit that works with businesses and the public to transition to a low-carbon economy. Read more...

Brazil, India's Citizens Are Greenest, Survey Finds

National Geographic, May 7, 2008

A new global survey reveals which country's citizens have the most environmentally friendly lifestyles by examining the impact of individual consumer behavior.
The National Geographic Society and the international polling firm GlobeScan today unveiled "Greendex 2008: Consumer Choice and the Environment—A Worldwide Tracking Survey." (The National Geographic Society owns National Geographic News.) Read more...

Europeans Greener Than Americans

Environmental Leader, October 29, 2007

Europeans are 50 percent more likely than Americans to buy “green” products – from solar panels to hybrid cars to natural/organic foods, personal care and home products, according to the European LOHAS study based on a partnership between Porter Novelli and Natural Marketing Institute.
Survey results also found that Europeans are 25 percent more likely to recycle and more than 30 percent likely to influence their friends and family about the environment than Americans. Read more...