Source: Environmental Leader
Published: Friday, May 23, 2008

Consumers are calling on brands to take responsibility for reducing the impact of climate change as governments fail to make progress, according to research by Havas Media.

In two-thirds of the markets researched (UK, US, Mexico, Brazil, Germany and France) people felt more strongly that companies and their brands should be finding solutions compared to the government.

The research paints a picture of a world that has given up on its elected leaders’ abilities to combat the problem, with only 11 percent of all respondents agreeing strongly that their governments are doing enough to arrest climate change.

This leadership vacuum presents an opportunity for companies and their brands to step in and take a wider role in addressing climate change. All markets express a clear desire to see more ecologically responsible brands and believe multinationals can, and should, make a positive impact on the issue. Consumers, however, are still very confused about the issue of climate change and look to brands for clearer communication on the issue.

Consumers are becoming increasingly aware of who is credibly making changes and who is not, despite green stereotypes associated with different sectors. The result: green marketing strategies and good environmental practices are no longer a “nice to have” for brands, but increasingly a “must have” in terms of not only maintaining brand image but also in maintaining market share.

Consumers will pay a premium

The survey stated that 79% of consumers said they would rather buy from companies doing their best to reduce their impact on the environment. Further, 89% are likely to buy more green goods in the next 12 months and 35% are willing to pay a premium for those goods. When it comes to actually buying green, 80% of our respondents said they would buy more if more were on offer. The report concludes that companies should not make the mistake of confusing loyalty with a lack of consumer choice.

For the complete article on Environmental Leader click here.