Research
Research about green marketing and products
Green is attractive!
In 2011, organic product sales were expected to top $20 billion. American consumers clearly indicated that they prefer to buy "environmentally friendly" products and that they are willing to pay more for these products. Studies have shown that the demand for "green" products is on the rise.
In the past, green-ness was thought of as using recycled everything, boycotting meat and dairy and weaving one's own hemp clothes. Today this deffinition has vastley changed, making not only practical but desirable for people to be green. "Green" has been simplified to something comsumers can embrace and live with.
Marketers and investors have finaly been convinced that the "green" trend is here to stay, and are very attracted to the raging numbers green products are dragging in, such as "up $10 billion from 2003".
There are different types of consumers, and it is important to understand these in order to market one's brand properly. They can somewhat be classified as follows:
Behavioral Green Comsumer - The die hard, green to the core green consumer; the one who would limit their purchases to those with a neutral to positive impact on the planet. These may go so far as to spread word of ones product in a positive way, or, if they do not favor it, in a negative one.
Think Green Consumer - Consumers who make green decisions when it is convinient and possible, but when it is not will not buy a green product.
Potential Green Consumer - Unsure of their stance with green issues, can be convinced to buy a green product if it is easy and fits their need.
True Brown Consumer - These ignore environmental issues and may even go as far as avoiding companies and brands with very green focuses.
Regulations and Restrictions
Between 1989 and 1990 the number of products making green claims doubled.By 1995, green claims could annually reach a sales figure of $8.8 billion. Many of these are very misleading and exaggerated. Currently there is a big lack of standardization and regulation on green marketing claims, resulting in claims that are confusing, misleading, deceptive and of little importance.In Canada, the Competition Bureau has put restrictions on false marketing. The Competition Act provides criminal and civil regimes applying to "misleading representations". It prohibits "knowingly or recklessly making, or permitting the making of, a representation to the public, in any form whatever, that is false or misleading in a material respect".
The offenders can face fines of up to $200 000 and/or imprisonment for up to one year on summary conviction (petty crime), or, upon indictment (charge of serious crime) fines dictated by the court and up to 14 years in prison. They can also be ordered not to make such claims, to publish notices correcting themselves, and to pay monetary penalties; upon first offence individuals are subject to penalties up to $750 000, and corporations are subject to penalties up to $10 000 000. If the offence is repeated, the penalty can be increased to up to $1 000 000 for an individual and up to $15 000 000 for a corporation.
The regulations do not do very much to protect consumers however. A report found that 30.9% of products surveyed had fake labels, 67.% had vague claims and 70.1% had claims without proof. This makes the green market very tricky for consumers.
The best way to market a green product is to have a recognizable and well known certification. It is highly illegal to fake a certification.
There are many, many loopholes in the regulations set down by the Competition Bureau. The most common ones have been categorized as "The 7 Sins of Green-Washing".
Products to Make Green
- Makeup
- Nail Polish
- Nail Polish Remover
- Water Bottles
- Scarfs