2008 ImagePower Green Brands Survey

09 Jun 2008 A newly released survey, conducted in the US and the UK, indicates the environment has taken a back seat to the economy for more than 75 percent of Americans and 66 percent of Britons.

The research, presented by executives from WPP agencies Landor Associates, Cohn & Wolfe, and Penn, Schoen & Berland Associates (PSB) at Sustainable Brands 08, also indicates that two out of three Americans think the environment is in worse shape than it was five years ago, and that lower income consumers have greater concern for the direction of the environment than wealthier consumers. Despite economic considerations, however, consumers are still willing to pay more for green products.

"We have been tracking perceptions of green for over three years, and this year's results are somewhat alarming in that they indicate consumers only prioritize the environment when all other concerns are equal," said Russ Meyer, chief strategy officer of Landor Associates. "With agricultural commodities running low and the rising cost of gas in the United States, Americans indicate they have more immediate concerns than the environment. With the United Kingdom also beginning to feel the economic crunch, we see some signs of the mentality there beginning to shift."

Consumers in both countries identify themselves as having the biggest impact on the environment. Americans list industry as having had the poorest record of environmental protection, while in the UK, government received the most blame.

Additional lead findings indicate that despite the abundance of "green" marketing in the last 12 months, consumers still view baseline activities, such as recycling, to be the most powerful contribution to environmental improvement. Further, though 95 percent of consumers think too much packaging is used on consumer goods, only 38 percent include packaging criteria in purchase decision.

"The results of the 2008 survey suggest that, despite conversations about eco-overload, sustainability is in a nascent stage, especially in the minds of consumers," said Annie Longsworth, president of Cohn & Wolfe San Francisco. "It will take a unified effort, and excellent communication, among government, corporations, NGOs and consumers to ensure environmental concerns remain at the top of the agenda."