Being Green Isn’t Good Enough

by lisa ~ April 30, 2009

A new poll shows that consumers may not be as inclined to buy green products in a recession as they had been before. “Pollsters Populus surveyed 1,999 adults to gauge how environmental concerns had shifted since the onset of the recession. They found 81 per cent of respondents paid more attention to cost/value than to environmental credentials,” according to PRWeek’s U.K. edition.

Only 6-9 months ago, marketers seemed to imply that being green was reason enough for consumers to snap up their products. Now, it seems that the sentiment has changed. Maybe it’s because of the recession. “Consumers are more concerned about a product’s price than its green credentials,” PRWeek wrote.

But maybe it’s because some of these green products just aren’t as good as those that are less environmentally friendly.

Case in point: I bought a cosmetic last spring after seeing it touted in O, The Oprah Magazine. Although it performed as well as other brands and its price was comparable to the competitive product I usually purchased, its packaging was shoddy and it smelled terrible. The organic packaging was attractive but it fell apart after about a month so the product that remained was effectively distributed throughout my purse. I realized then that there’s a reason similar products are packaged in plastic.

But I might have overlooked the flimsy packaging if I had enjoyed using the product. However, I have never used make-up that smelled so offensive. The odor was indescribable - somewhat like singed hair - instead of the pleasantly flowery or powdery scent of most cosmetics.

I emailed the company via its Web site but received no response - a very effective way to alienate an already frustrated customer. Needless to say, I don’t intend to purchase this brand again even though it might do the environment a small bit of good.

Today, I’m more skeptical of green products. Marketers need to prove to me that they have benefits beyond their supposedly environmentally friendly nature.

To read the complete article, “Survey shows ungreen trend,” click here.

Lisa Tibbitts (Lisa.Tibbitts@Me.com) is a New York-based corporate communications professional with an MBA in marketing. Follow her on Twitter: http://twitter.com/FinancialPR.