CorporateResponsibility.Net

It’s true, as GreenBiz.com executive editor Joel Makower wrote last month, that even during rough economic times like these, marketers’ surveys of consumers almost always report exceedingly optimistic returns of how likely shoppers are to choose green products.

Whether or not that assessment is true, three new reports out in recent days certainly continue the trend: reports from Forrester Research, the Carbon Trust Standard and IRI find anywhere from 15 to 62 percent of shoppers in the U.S. and U.K. take environmental considerations to heart before they purchase a product or service. Read more

Source: GreenBiz.com

Four out of five people say they are still buying sustainable products and services today—which sometimes cost more—even in the midst of a U.S. recession, according to a new survey.

Half of the 1,000 people surveyed say they are buying just as many sustainable products now as before the economic downturn, while 19% say they are buying more sustainable products. 14% say they are buying fewer environmentally sustainable products. Read more

Source: Sustainable Business

n the tech industry, green is the new black.

In recent months, electronics companies have released a slew of new, more environmentally friendly products or touted their commitments to improving the environment.

The industry clearly has gotten the message that consumers are increasingly conscious of the ecological impact of the products they purchase. Individual companies and the industry as a whole are taking steps to make their products more energy-efficient and to cut back on the use of toxic materials, environmental groups say.

But the industry can’t be described as eco-friendly just yet, they say. Read more

Source: MercuryNews.com

The drive to sustainability is having a broad effect on consumers, with three in four defining themselves as “green,” according to a new survey by Yahoo!.

The survey found that the green market has grown far beyond its roots as a niche, with 77 percent of consumers identifying themselves as “green.” Over half (57 percent) said they made a green purchase decision in the past six months.

Yahoo! commissioned the survey, which polled 1,500 people ages 18-54 in person in Los Angeles, Chicago and Portland, Ore. Respondents were recruited online.

Read more

Source: Brand Week

The results of the second annual Edelman goodpurpose study tell us that that across the globe people’s sense of commitment to helping others—and to brands and companies that share that commitment—remains strong. The study shows that 83% of consumers are willing to change their own consumption habits to help make tomorrow’s world a better place. Read more

Source: Edelman

NIKE, Inc. (NYSE:NKE) on Tuesday announced the significant expansion of its Considered Design, a sustainably designed line of shoes that uses sustainable materials and reduces waste through easier deconstruction and recycling at the end of product life.

While Nike has delivered consumers Considered products for several years, for the first time, Nike Considered Design will be featured in all of Nike’s six key categories: basketball, running, football (soccer), women’s training, men’s training and sportswear, as well as in tennis and ACG (All Condition Gear).

For example, Nike’s best-selling running shoe, the Pegasus, now has Nike Considered Design. Read more

Source: Sustainable Business

Trade and development minister Gareth Thomas is backing a campaign to encourage consumers to pester retailers about the lack of ethical information available on goods and services.

As part of the “Be an Ethical Pest” campaign announced this week, Thomas outlined a series of questions that consumers should be able to put to retailers. These include asking which country a product comes from, what the retailer is doing to protect the rights of workers who make the products, and whether there is any information available on how much workers are paid.

“The public are obviously committed to the idea of helping developing countries through their weekly shopping, but there is not enough information out there to help people shop ethically,” said Thomas. Read more

Source: Business Green

Businesses are today mobilising to meet an expected increase in demand for energy efficient products and services, in the wake of the government’s announcement of an extra £910m in funding to help the fuel poor.

After weeks of negotiations with energy companies, the government today announced that energy providers are to increase the amount they contribute towards energy efficiency schemes and winter fuel payments by around 30 per cent.

Business secretary John Hutton insisted at a press conference this morning that these costs would not be passed on to consumers. “If there is any evidence that customers are being ripped off … then the government will not hesitate to intervene,” he warned. Read more

Source: Business Green

Claims that drinks company Innocent misled consumers about how its products were transported have served as timely reminder of the scrutiny ethical brands now face over their marketing claims.

An investigation by The Daily Telegraph revealed that the high-profile smoothie-maker had published inaccurate information about how the ingredients for its drinks were transported.

The company claimed that the fruit for its smoothies only travels by rail or boat and tells customers that its drinks are produced in the UK. However, The Daily Telegraph claims its investigation revealed that the drinks are blended on the continent before being carried “hundreds of miles” on tanker lorries.

Innocent admitted that there was some material on its web site “that had not been updated and incorrectly states that we only use rail and sea to transport our fruit”. Read more

Source: Green Business

UK food retailer Sainsbury’s has won the European Retail Solutions Best Green IT Initiative Award 2008 for using simultaneous two-sided thermal receipt printers from NCR Corporation in its store checkouts.

Last year Sainsbury’s became the first European retailer to start using the new printers, which use over 40 percent less paper. Printing on both sides of the receipt simultaneously not only saves paper, but also the energy associated with producing and transporting it.

By the end of this year, consumers will be receiving the two-sided receipts from 7,000 checkouts in approximately half of Sainsbury’s 823 UK stores resulting in a savings of 502,000 paper rolls per year – cutting receipt paper usage at the retailer by around two-fifths. Read more

Source: Environmental Leader