Avoid the ‘greenwash’

A new survey from Knoxville, Tenn.-based the Shelton Group suggests most American consumers are interested in buying “green” products are are confused and skeptical of many of the claims made by product manufacturers and distributors.

The survey, released June 30, also indicates that many people believe “organic” is a marketing ploy that really means, “more expensive.”

“Many consumers do not understand green terminology,” Suzanne Shelton of the Shelton Group said in a statement. “They prefer the word ‘natural’ over the term ‘organic,’ thinking organic is more of an unregulated marketing buzzword that means the product is more expensive. In reality, the opposite is true: ‘Natural’ is the unregulated word. Organic foods must meet government standards to be certified as such.”

The Eco Pulse survey was generated from 1,006 responses to a survey conducted in May and April 2009.

Survey results include:
• When asked, "Which is the best product description to read on a label?" Americans chose “natural” over “organic.”
“100% natural” — 31%
“All natural ingredients” — 25%
“100% organic” — 14%
“Certified organic ingredients” — 12%

• The survey found most Americans (60%) are looking for greener products.

• When asked, "How do you know a product is green?" the top responses reflected the belief that it’s difficult to really know:
Don’t know/Not sure — 22%
Says so on the package/label — 20%
Read label/Ingredients — 15%
Environmentally safe/friendly — 13%

• The survey found they don’t exactly trust companies’ motives for going green. Asked, "Why do you think most companies that adopt environmentally-friendly practices do so?" one quarter of respondents chose "to make their company look better to the public" and only 7% chose "because their owners/shareholders care about the environment."

“This is a clear message to corporate America: Don’t ‘greenwash,’” Shelton said. “There’s more potential for backlash with a half-hearted green claim than there is for an increase in sales.”