A new study of U.K. consumers finds many are skeptical of the green claims made by retailers. Closer to home, another report suggests that 2008 will become the year when a variety of groups put the many environmental claims made by companies to the test.
According to researched conducted by Datamonitor and YouGov for BT, only three percent of consumers in the U.K. believe retailers are being straight about their environmental initiatives. One in three said companies exaggerate the extent of their programs to impress consumers into shopping in their stores.
As a report on SmartPlanet.com pointed out, this sentiment is not what retailers want to hear. Fifty-six percent of businesses think they are making significant strides on the environmental front.
Separately, a report on the Brandweek website said private groups and the Federal Trade Commission are more likely to be looking at company claims to determine if they represent real green initiatives or are "greenwashing."
Steve Price, former CEO at Publicis Mid America, told Brandweek, "The more marketers that jump on this green bandwagon, the more likely it is that someone will abuse it. The trick is to leverage it in a way and to make sure the communication is sincere."
Deborah Morrison, professor of advertising at the University of Oregon, said, "Right now, there is some self-monitoring in the ad industry. We always have to pay attention to the baseline of what is truth and what isn't. But this is a whole new area."
Discussion Questions: Do you think American consumers are more or less skeptical of green claims compared to their counterparts in the U.K.? Does the complex nature of assessing the true environmental impact of products and companies make it nearly impossible to determine the legitimacy of green claims? What does this all mean for retailers and brands looking to promote their eco-initiatives?