Do Consumers See 'Green' Products as Less Effective?

Mainstream brands which advertise a new line of products with “green” marketing may risk losing out on custom, according to a new study from the USA. After interviewing over 500 consumers from all over the States, the research concluded that there is a tendency to view green alternatives from a major brand as less effective than their other products, without being as sustainable as a niche company.

The revelations are food for thought for the marketing team of companies all over the world, who must weigh the obvious benefits of pursuing environmentally-friendly policies against the potentially detrimental effect it can have on sales when advertised improperly. It also offers insight into how the consumer mindset works and the implications that holds for the future of buying culture.

Market research

A collaborative effort between scientists and academics from North Carolina State University and San Diego State University, the new study surveyed 565 Americans from all walks of life in different states across the US. Given that pesticides are often linked with public health risks, it was a logical choice for the researchers to concentrate on pesticides as the focus of this environmentally-minded study.

420 of the respondents said that they were regular consumers of pesticides, while 352 claimed that “environmental friendliness” was a priority when it came to making buying decisions. All participants were asked which of three real pesticide brands they favoured, and whether their decision varied depending on the packaging they were shown. The first option was a household name brand which dominated the market, the second was their largest competitor and the third a niche brand which sold only sustainable products.

Labelling all important

The participants were split into three groups and shown differing labels for each brand. The first group saw plain packaging with no environmental notices or logos. The second were shown the same packaging with a safety symbol (an image of a house inside a cupped pair of hands), while the third were given packaging with an environmental symbol (the Earth).

The results showed little differentiation between those given unmarked packaging (43.6% still picked the leading brand) and the safety symbol packaging (43.4% opted for the biggest household name). However, when that brand was adorned with the green symbol, the percentage of those who would choose it fell to just 33%.

Perception over principles

Given the popularity of the recent PEFTEC 2019 and WWEM 2018 events, it’s clear that the problem doesn’t lie with a lack of public appetite for environmental issues. Indeed, upon further questioning of the study respondents, the researchers learned that it was more to do with their perception of the green line from a major brand.

It seems that such items are believed to satisfy neither camp; they’re not as effective at their primary function as the regular product, but they’re also not quite as environmentally-friendly as those manufactured by companies who excel in that area. “Our findings seem to indicate that mainstream green brands should consider keeping information about environmental friendliness under the radar and promote their products' performance instead,” explained Dr Morgan Poor, co-author on the study.