Market For Green Products Research Articles

Green consumer markets in the fight against climate change

Climate change has become one of the greatest threats to environmental security, as attested by the growing frequency of severe flooding and storms, extreme temperatures and droughts. Accordingly, the European Union's (EU) 6th Environment Action Programme (2010) lists tackling climate change as its first priority. A key aim of the EU has been to cut CO2 emissions, a major factor in climate change, by 8 per cent until 2012 and 20 per cent until 2020. The European Commission has proposed the encouragement of private consumer market for green products and services as one of several solutions to this problem. However, existing research suggests that the market share of these products has been only 3 per cent, although 30 per cent of individuals favour environmental and ethical goods. This article uses Public Goods Theory to explain why the contribution of the green consumer market to fighting climate change has been and possibly may remain limited without further public intervention.

Entrepreneurship in the Natural Food and Beauty Categories Before 2000: Global Visions and Local Expressions

This working paper examines the creation of the global natural food and beauty categories before 2000. This is shown to have been a lengthy process of new category creation involving the exercise of entrepreneurial imagination. Pioneering entrepreneurs faced little consumer demand for natural products, and little consumer knowledge of what they entailed. The creation of new categories involved three overlapping waves of entrepreneurship. The first involved making the ideological case for natural products. This often entailed investment in education and publishing activities. Second, entrepreneurs engaged in the creation of industry associations which could advocate, as well as give the nascent industry credibility and create standards. Finally, entrepreneurs established retail stores, supply and distribution networks, and created brands. Entrepreneurial cognition and motivation frequently lay in individual, and very local, experiences, but many of the key pioneers were also highly globalized in their world views, with strong perception of how small, local efforts related to much bigger and global pictures. A significant sub-set of the influential historical figures were articulate in expressing strong religious convictions. The paper concludes that by the 1990s it was evident that the success of entrepreneurial pioneers in building the market for green products created a new set of issues, especially related to the legitimacy of their businesses and of the concept of greenness.

Green marketing messages and consumers' purchase intentions: Promoting personal versus environmental benefits

This study examines whether consumers' purchase intentions are influenced by the type of green marketing communications message to which they are exposed, and whether this effect is moderated by their level of environmental involvement (EI), measured across cognitive, affective and behavioural attitude components. A sample of university students (N = 171) were exposed to one of three print advertisements showing a typical ad for the product, an ad promoting a personal benefit to product purchase and an ad promoting a pure environmental benefit. Results revealed no difference in purchase intention across the three types of advertisement; however, it was found that participants' level of environmental affect moderated the effect of the advertisements on purchase intention. Participants with higher environmental affect showed greater purchase intention when exposed to the pure environmental advertisement; those with a lower level of affect showed greater purchase intention when exposed to the personal environmental advertisement. Implications for the meaning and measurement of EI are discussed, as well as for marketers of green products.

Section 18 of the Australian Consumer Law and Environmental Issues

The market for ‘green’ products has expanded drastically over recent years in response to increased consumer concerns about environmental issues. However, such expansion has been accompanied by unsavoury conduct by some producers and marketers of green products. A number of corporations, for example, have sought to exploit their environmental and corporate social responsibility credentials to confuse, mislead or even defraud customers or clients by marketing so-called ‘brown’ (or non-green) products as green products. This practice has been referred to as ‘greenwashing’. While Australia does not have specific legislation dealing with misleading environmental claims, it has developed a sophisticated approach to the regulation of misleading or deceptive conduct through the old s 52 of the Trade Practices Act 1974 (Cth), now s 18 of the Australian Consumer Law, and its many derivatives in other statutes. This article analyses the extent to which s 18 of the Australian Consumer Law and its federal statutory equivalents apply to the regulation of greenwashing.

Marketing feasibility of Malaysian eco-products

Green marketing as a term refers to the systematic process of planning, developing and promoting goods and services that meet the needs of consumers for quality, output, affordable prices, accessible service, without harming the environment. According to the literature, green marketing is neither merely a green way of marketing, nor just the marketing of green products. Green has to be both, i.e., referring to the method of marketing as well as the marketing of the product itself. The current study investigates the impact and relationship between green marketing tools and customer’s actual purchase behaviour, and whether Malaysian consumers are aware of eco-label initiatives.

Consumers' perceptions of 'green': Why and how consumers use eco-fashion and green beauty products

The market for green products is expanding worldwide in a variety of industries, such as food, fashion and cosmetics. However, there is little research about consumer behaviour regarding green fashion and beauty, or consumers' knowledge of green labels and certifications. This article explores these issues through a qualitative research approach, using in-depth interviews and focus groups. Results suggest that consumers do not understand the meaning of all terms and labels used to describe and guarantee green products, such as, for example, eco-labels on organic cosmetics. Regarding the motivation of consumers for consuming eco-fashion and green beauty products, protection of the environment is not a priority. Respondents' motives for purchasing these products appear to be egocentric and related to health. Also, such purchases constitute a 'license to sin': they relieve the guilt of non-environmentally-friendly behaviors. Lastly, motivation for consuming eco-fashion is based on self-expression (mainly a North American motivation) and status display (mainly a continental European motivation). For several continental Europeans, purchasing green products appears to be a new form of conspicuous consumption.

The Impact Of Age, Educational Background, Gender, And Monthly Expenditure On The Potential Of Green Products Buyers

The level of environmental degradation continues rising to lead a global warming. Without immediate prevention measures, this could bring the Earth into total breakdown. Therefore environmental preservation campaign buzzing for every element of the society to participate in the campaign. Number of people understand and care about environmen-tal degradation and global warming is growing. Many people aim is to influence the lifestyle and consumption pattern of the society. The campaign is to attract and motivate the society to purchase environ-mentally friendly goods which are also known as green products. The number of potential people to the purchase green products continues rising along with the spread of knowledge concerning the importance of conserving the environment. Such condition recognized by the com-panies. Therefore they start to consist them as the target market. One of the important marketing aspects is market segmentation. There are many ways and statistical methods to classifying consumers into particular segmentations; one of the methods is the Chi-squared Auto-matic Interaction Detector (CHAID). CHAID, it is implemented in this research for green product market segmentation (Segmentation result subsequently used to determination of the following strategic marke-ting measures). CHAID examines independent variables used in clas-sification and arrangement process based on the level of chi-square statistical significance towards the dependent variable. Dependent variable used in this research is potential customer trend to purchase preference of green products. The result shows that significantly in-fluential variables towards the potential of green products buyers are age, educational background, gender and their monthly amount of expenditure / spending. DOI : https://doi.org/10.21632/irjbs.4.3.189-201 Keywords: environmental preservationglobal warming, green product, segmentation, CHAID

The Impact of Age, Educational Background, Gender, and Monthly Expenditure on the Potential of Green Products Buyers

The level of environmental degradation continues rising to lead a global warming. Without immediate prevention measures, this could bring the Earth into total breakdown. Therefore environmental preservation campaign buzzing for every element of the society to participate in the campaign. Number of people understand and care about environmen-tal degradation and global warming is growing. Many people aim is to influence the lifestyle and consumption pattern of the society. The campaign is to attract and motivate the society to purchase environ-mentally friendly goods which are also known as green products. The number of potential people to the purchase green products continues rising along with the spread of knowledge concerning the importance of conserving the environment. Such condition recognized by the com-panies. Therefore they start to consist them as the target market. One of the important marketing aspects is market segmentation. There are many ways and statistical methods to classifying consumers into particular segmentations; one of the methods is the Chi-squared Auto-matic Interaction Detector (CHAID). CHAID, it is implemented in this research for green product market segmentation (Segmentation result subsequently used to determination of the following strategic marke-ting measures). CHAID examines independent variables used in clas-sification and arrangement process based on the level of chi-square statistical significance towards the dependent variable. Dependent variable used in this research is potential customer trend to purchase preference of green products. The result shows that significantly in-fluential variables towards the potential of green products buyers are age, educational background, gender and their monthly amount of expenditure / spending.DOI :https://doi.org/10.21632/irjbs.4.3.189-201Keywords:environmental preservationglobal warming, green product, segmentation, CHAID

Green Marketing: A Start to Environmental Safety

The world is developing significantly with huge industrialization all around and leaving behind a curse to the nature. People all around the globe are now aware about the environmental depletion which the industrialists have been serving along with the bundle of utilities. Newspapers, magazines and all media are also now a days enhancing consumer’s attention towards the environmental effects a product may have. This problem, thus, being not of a nation but of the whole globe, has increased the need of the marketer to focus upon. In order to survive in such an aware market, every marketer has to imperatively focus upon the green marketing. There is nothing new in the green product and green marketing but it only cares for the environment. Environment friendly products/raw mate-rials are the demand for both real consumers as well as the industrial buyers. Green marketing is a global concern and it is going to have a better future ahead. It can most profitably be used as a growth opportunity if the lag behinds are eliminated. The most important factor is to understand the consumer’s perception about the environment and to develop a better sense of moral obligation in every citizen.

Mainstreaming Green Product Innovation: Why and How Companies Integrate Environmental Sustainability

Green product innovation has been recognized as one of the key factors to achieve growth, environmental sustainability, and a better quality of life. Understanding green product innovation as a result of interaction between innovation and sustainability has become a strategic priority for theory and practice. This article investigates green product innovation by means of a multiple case study analysis of 12 small to medium size manufacturing companies based in Italy and Canada. First, we propose a conceptual framework that presents three key environmental dimensions of green product innovation such as energy minimization, materials reduction, and pollution prevention as identified in the life cycle phases of products. Based on insights gained from in-depth interviews, we discuss firms’ motivations to develop green products, environmental policies and targets for products, different dimensions of green product innovation, and challenges faced during developing and marketing of green products. Results from the study are then synthesized and integrated in a toolbox that sheds light on various aspects of green product innovation and provides solutions to challenges and risks that are faced by firms. Finally, implications for managers, academia and public policy makers are discussed.

Developing Asia’s Competitive Advantage in Green Products: Learning from the Japanese Experience

Right now, governments around the world are spending record amounts of money to kick-start their economies in response to the financial crisis. Fortunately, a great opportunity exists for this fiscal stimulus to be directed towards “green” economic growth, which can not only provide the new markets and jobs needed immediately for alleviating poverty, but also address the challenges of global warming. Working models already exist, proving that sustainable growth is possible. To achieve this will require social, technical and structural changes, as well as appropriate policies conducive to eco-innovation. For developing countries, there are lessons that can be learned from countries that have already gone through that process. The aim of this paper is to show what lessons can be learnt from the Japanese case. As the world's second largest economy, Japan is not only one of the most energy-efficient economies in the world; it also produces some of the world's leading green technologies. This paper focuses on current trends in the green product market and consumer behavior in Japan, which have been influenced by recent government policies, particularly the ¥15.4 trillion (more than US$100 billion) stimulus package. The aim of this paper is to provide some insight on, and present a repository of selected government policies promoting sustainable development. The scope of this paper will cover areas such as hybrid vehicles, renewable energy, energy efficient home appliances, and green certification schemes. It also provides a brief discussion on the environmental policies of the new Japanese government that came into power on 16 September 2009. The paper attempts to use the most recent data, from June to August 2009, however given the quickly-evolving global environment, these statistics may change drastically by the time this paper is presented.

Gender differences in Hong Kong adolescent consumers' green purchasing behavior

PurposeThis paper aims to examine how gender differs in environmental attitude, environmental concern, perceived seriousness of environmental problems, perceived environmental responsibility, peer influence, self identity in environmental protection and green purchasing behavior in Hong Kong adolescent consumers.Design/methodology/approachA total of 6,010 (2,975 males and 3,035 females) adolescents in Hong Kong were recruited through multi‐staged random sampling. Surveys were distributed through 48 high schools in Hong Kong.FindingsFemale adolescents scored significantly higher in environmental attitude, environmental concern, perceived seriousness of environmental problems, perceived environmental responsibility, peer influence and green purchasing behavior than male adolescents in Hong Kong. In contrast, male adolescents' average score on self‐identity in environmental protection was significantly higher than that of the female adolescents.Research limitations/implicationsA major limitation lies in the self‐reported nature of survey used in the study. Future study should include some objective assessments (such as observations or other‐reported survey) of the subjects' green purchasing and environmental behaviors.Practical implicationsThis study should provide a useful source of information for international green marketers in Hong Kong. Hong Kong female adolescents constitute a potentially good market for green products. Marketing messages targeting this group should use emotional appeals, emphasize individual responsibility to protect the environment, and facilitate peer networking to spread good word‐of‐mouth.Originality/valueThis paper offers practical guidelines to international green marketers who are planning to target the Asian markets.

Identifying the green consumer: A segmentation study

The modern world has led consumers to become increasingly concerned about the environment. Such concerns have begun to be displayed in their purchasing patterns, with consumers increasingly preferring to buy so-called ‘environmentally friendly products’. Marketing managers have in turn recognised the strategic importance of marketing in finding responses to the ‘environmental needs’ of consumers due to the influence this may have on their consumption habits. The growing number of organisations entering the green product market also indicates the need for suitable segmentation and positioning strategies. This paper focuses on the identification of distinct market segments. Through the use of variables related to the environment, as well as demographic variables, the segments that are occupied by consumers with different sensitivities to environmental matters are identified, and the possible implications of these results for the marketing strategies of companies are also discussed.

Drivers for Corporate Environmental Responsibility (CER)

There is a limited body of research into what drives some major companies to become aware of their environmental responsibility, what drives some to develop policies, and for an even smaller number of companies, what drives them to act on these policies and actually change their practices to become more environmentally responsible. This paper draws on part of the research conducted for a PhD, and looks at what a selection of senior business leaders from major Australian and international companies, as well as key academics, corporate analysts and environmentalists believe are the major drivers for corporate environmental responsibility (CER). While the key finding, namely that government legislation or the threat of legislation, is the number one driver, came as no surprise and concurs with findings of other studies (Emtairah et al.: 2002, Who Creates the Market for Green Products? An Analysis of the Role of Different Actors in Relation to Supply and Demand of Green Products, Swedish Environmental Protection Agency, Stockholm; Faruk: 2002, The Ashridge Journal; Husted: 2003, Environmental Science & Policy 2, 61–74), what was a surprise was the level of support from business leaders for more government intervention in the form of policies, including legislative, to encourage or force greater CER.

Has Environmental Investment a Marketing Effect in Turkish Banking Industry?

The increase in environmental consciousness around the world since 1970's pushed firms to engage in socially responsible behaviors. The Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has naturally gained attention in the academic and business world (Colvin, 2001; Harrison & Freeman, 1999; Sen & Bhattacharya, 2001; Waddock & Smith, 2000). The reasons for these socially responsible behaviors are not only the external obligations or regulatory compliance but also the firms desire to increase competitiveness, to improve stock market performance (Bansal & Roth, 2000; Drumwright, 1994, 1996; Klassen & Mclaughlin, 1996; Russo & Fouts, 1997; Waddock & Smith, 2000) and to create a positive self‐image among consumers. There have been numerous studies on CSR suggesting a link between social initiatives and consumer's positive product and brand evaluations, brand choice and brand recommendations (Brown & Dacin, 1997; Drumwright, 1994; Handelman & Arnold, 1999; Osterhus, 1997; Sen & Bhattacharya, 2001). Moreover, the consumers are continuing to become more interested in CSR and green product market is fast growing so the use of CSR initiatives by the firms to receive the support of the society and to influence consumer behavior has become quite common. However, these socially responsible steps must also have an effect on corporations' major objective: maximizing the profits.

Green Marketing: An Attitudinal and Behavioural Analysis of Indian Consumers

Environmentalism has fast emerged as a worldwide phenomenon. Business firms too have risen to the occasion and have started responding to environmental challenges by practising green marketing strategies. Green consumerism has played a catalystic role in ushering corporate environmentalism and making business firms green marketing oriented. Based on the data collected through a field survey, the paper makes an assessment of the extent of environmental awareness, attitudes and behaviour prevalent among consumers in India and lists implications of the study findings for the government and non-governmental organizations engaged in marketing of green ideas and products in the country. In the concluding section, limitations of the study have been discussed and suggestions provided for undertaking more thorough investigations in the area.

Nutrient composition of green crab ( Carcinus maenus) leg meat and claw meat

Research is underway in New England to examine the potential for initiating a commercial fishery for the invasive European green crab ( Carcinus maenus). Information on the nutrient composition is needed to facilitate the processing, utilization, and marketing of value-added green crab products. Green crabs were harvested and individually weighed and measured for carapace width. Claw meat and leg meat samples were picked from steamed crabs, and raw crabs were sampled for claw meat only. Samples were subjected to proximate, mineral (calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, sodium, potassium, aluminium, iron, zinc, copper), cholesterol, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) analyses. Moisture, protein, and total mineral contents of the crab meat averaged 78.7, 17.1, and 2.2 g/100 g, respectively. Leg meat had higher lipid concentrations (1.16 g/100 g) than either steamed (0.62 g/100 g) or raw (0.54 g/100 g) claw meat. Average n-3 fatty acid concentrations ranged from 115 to 336 mg/100 g and 154 to 344 mg/100 g for DHA and EPA, respectively, and were significantly higher in leg meat than in claw meat.

Strategic Bridging: The Collaboration between Environmentalists and Business in the Marketing of Green Products

A case of interorganizational collaboration in Canada involving a retail grocery chain and several environmental groups is analyzed. In this case, one environmental group attempted to act as a bridge between business and environmentalists by endorsing a line of "green" products. Based on material drawn from news reports and personal interviews, the authors use the case to illuminate the concept of strategic bridging as a distinctive form of collaboration. Like other forms of collaboration, bridging relies on collaborative negotiations and "back-home" commitment to the outcome of the negotiations and "back-home" commitment to the outcome of the negotiations. It differs from other forms -such as joint ventures, multiparty task forces, and mediation -with respect to the degree of organizational interpenetration involved in the negotiations and the complexity of the problem of gaining back-home commitment. Based on their analysis, the authors speculate that strategic bridging is more likely to occur when the problem domain is underorganized and the willingness of the stakeholders to collaborate is low. Implications for future research are discussed.