Nielsen, the CPG sales rating company, has been releasing reports indicating that consumers prefer sustainable products. Actually, consumers prefer products making sustainable claims. The implication is that the producers are living up to their claims.
Then there’s the question about what the term “sustainable” means. The confusion is not just with the term, “sustainable,” but other terms like “eco-friendly” products, “environmentally friendly” products, “natural” products and “earth friendly” products. They are all vying for your desire to spend your money to support your natural urge for the survival, health and well-being of yourself, your family, and the environment that supports and sustains us all.
Green Washing
“Green Washing” is a new term that has popped up to describe companies who tout a sustainability claim about their products but may still deliver it in an unsustainable package, like plastic. Or, they provide an organic or natural product but their production is unsustainable. They hope you won’t notice and just make the purchase based on their singular claim.
The lack of officially accepted, enforced, and widely recognized standards has caused confusion in the so-called eco-friendly space. In other words, you still have to research each product which is too onerous for most consumers. Still, the numbers say that eco claims result in increased sales.
The good news is that brands that claim to produce eco-friendly products are coming under more scrutiny if, for no other reason, than that their competition wants to keep them honest. Bottom line: there’s no turning back now. Consumers want environmentally products today!
Eco Friendly Products are Becoming Mainstream!
If you want to know where to buy earth-friendly products, you need not go further than your local store. The big CPG producers are onto it! Suddenly brands that had no eco claims have a list of them. Stores like Whole Foods, that used to have an advantage with their large selection of environmentally friendly products, are now competing with Walmart, Costco, Target, and other big conventional chains. They all want your bucks!
Eco-friendly brands are mounting their own online marketing campaigns and directing you to the stores and online retailers that carry them.
This really underlines the power of the purse. The vast majority of shoppers are women who have families and feel responsible for the future of their children’s health. They now know that they have the power to demand products, packaging, and production practices that are consistent with those basic family values.
The biggest shift we have seen is to eco-friendly products for the home. Home is where the family spends the most time and is exposed to the greatest environmental effects. Earth friendly cleaning products have begun to dominate the market. If it gets the job done, is within her budget, and won’t hurt her family or the greater environment, she’s not only more likely to buy it, but more likely to become an advocate for the brand.
The Good Trade web site lists 11 top, what they call, “natural eco friendly” cleaning products for the home.
If you are in the CPG space, now is your last chance to jump on the bandwagon – or get run over by it!
Now, if we could get the same type of support for eco friendly power, the eco friendly movement would get some serious traction.
