Survey: Americans want to buy green, but lack knowledge in making meaningful choices

New results released from a national survey, one of four annual surveys conducted by the Shelton Group, show most Americans are trying to buy more green products, but many don’t have enough knowledge to make meaningful choices. When asked, “Which is the best product description to read on a label?” Americans chose “natural” over “organic.”

• “100% natural” — 31 percent
• “All natural ingredients” — 25 percent
• “100% organic” — 14 percent
• “Certified organic ingredients” — 12 percent

“Many consumers do not understand green terminology,” said Suzanne Shelton, whose firm, the Shelton Group, conducted the national survey. “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 survey found most Americans (60 percent) are looking for greener products. “Green has officially gone mainstream,” Shelton said. “It’s no longer the stereotypical granola crunching tree huggers who want green products. It’s everyday Americans.”
But there’s a lot of confusion. 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 percent
• Says so on the package/label — 20 percent
• Read label/Ingredients — 15 percent
• Environmentally safe/friendly — 13 percent

“People are uncertain what to trust, so there’s almost a ‘buyer beware’ attitude in the market, with consumers feeling they have to rely primarily on what they can read on the label,” Shelton said. “Consumers want a trusted source for accreditation, one that is simple to understand. “That’s why appliances with the ENERGY STAR® certificate are so attractive,” Shelton added. Trust is clearly an issue for consumers. 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 percent chose “because their owners/shareholders care about the environment.” When asked what they would do if a company that makes one of their favorite products and had been advertising itself as green received a government fine for failing emissions standards or for polluting a nearby stream, 40 percent said they’d stop buying the product. More importantly, 36 percent would not only stop buying, they’d encourage friends not to buy the product. “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.”

Qwest Colorado offers employees monthly commuter discount program

The Regional Transportation District (RTD) and Qwest Communications have partnered to create a new monthly commuter discount program. Qwest is the first Colorado company to offer the FlexPass program, designed specifically for large companies that make pre-tax spending account options available to their employees. RTD’s FlexPass is a new product designed to offer employers an annual pass program that can be customized to meet the needs of the company and their employees. Key facts of the program:

• Qwest Denver-area employees who commute via RTD will receive a 10 percent discount when they purchase a monthly pass and sign up for the Qwest (pre-tax) Commuter Spending Account (CSA). The discounted monthly pass can be used either for bus or light rail transit.
• Qwest recently conducted a company-wide employee commuter survey that identified employees’ desire to save money and reduce their impact on the environment — more than 8,400 employees participated. Results from the survey were instrumental in helping Qwest and RTD reach this milestone.
• RTD estimates that U.S. greenhouse gases from transportation represent 33 percent of total U.S. emissions and that the average Denver work commuter saves about $9,078 a year by taking public transit.

“We are proud and excited to offer Qwest employees in the Denver area a commuter program which allows them to save twice – through pre-tax savings and a discount – while also supporting their individual sustainability efforts,” said Chuck Ward, Qwest Colorado president.

New wine combines organically grown grapes with green packaging

Organically grown grapes and the ultimate in green packaging have been combined in the development of CalNaturale, the newest product being introduced by cutting-edge manufacturer, California Natural Products (CNP) of Lathrop, CA. The company will bring CalNaturale Cabernet Sauvignon – a premium wine made with grapes grown organically in the Paso Robles Appellation and packaged in a flexible carton – to the marketplace in late summer 2009. CalNaturale becomes part of the organic wine category which saw an increase of 30% in 2008. CalNaturale will be sold in 500 ml and one liter prisma Tetra Pak cartons, offering two environmentally friendly choices to the consumer. While the liter prisma Tetra Pak is 19% lighter with 33% more wine than the traditional 750 ml glass bottle, the production and handling of the flexible packaging consumes less than half of the greenhouse gases, waste and energy than glass. In addition to producing a small carbon footprint, 70% of the packaging used with the product comes from renewable resources. These sustainability benefits have played a key role in the expansion of the number of wines now being sold in Tetra Pak flexible packaging, which grew 49% in 2008.

The Tetra Pak carton is lightweight, unbreakable and requires no special tools to open. The consumer will also find it portable, convenient and completely re-sealable. At the store level, case packs for CalNaturale will be smaller and lighter, requiring less energy to move and less space to stack than traditionally packaged wines. The CalNaturale 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon is the first and only California wine packaged in a Tetra Pak carton from organically grown grapes certified by CCOF.