|
Touted as the first International standard to address the health, environmental, and labeling concerns of infants, children and adults, consumers can use the standard as a guide to find “green” soaps, cleansers, polishes, and notably wet wipes. The standard requires that when developing and manufacturing products the focus be on looking for more environmentally friendly alternatives. With this in mind, the Clean Plus Product Group whose European headquarters are in eco-friendly Norway was first to announce the transition to 100% biodegradable material in its premium auto care wet wipes. The innovative product material meets all environmental regulations and has the European Eco Flower certification. Products bearing the “Flower” have been checked by independent bodies for complying with strict ecological and performance criteria. According to a recent study, nearly one in four consumers say they have “no way of knowing” if a product is green or actually does what it claims. Eco-Pledge, is currently working on its next standard in for the personal-care category, notably, for household and skincare products. Eco-Pledge’s soap standard identifies the following green features: - No hidden health hazards such as ingredients that are contaminated with carcinogens like formaldehyde and 1, 4-dioxane. - The products are safe to wash down the drain and into the environment. - The product has to work as well as or better than a conventional product. - All ingredients are on the label including fragrances or known allergens. - The label will only be labeled “natural” or “organic” if it really is. - The packaging relies less on fossil fuels/petroleum, for a lesser environmental impact. The company’s research has found that 83 percent of women think there should be one meaning for a product labeled “green,” while 86 percent agree that there should be a symbol to certify a product with the “green” attribute. Two-thirds of women think a personal care product labeled “green” should contain at least 95 percent “green” ingredients. Seventy-eight percent of women think “green” products are currently regulated or don’t know if it is, while 97 percent think they should be. The Product Group’s fast-moving eco-friendly auto-care products appeal to many, but significantly to women : 47% of its world wide sales are to women. Certain fast-moving – notably wet wipes, environmentally-friendly consumable products are being used by a significant portion of the general population in the company’s existing markets. More than one-third of consumers are purchasing green/natural/organic personal care products, natural foods and beverages, and CFLs and the trend is moving fast towards auto-care where the Product Group has international notoriety. Consumers, the portion of the population that is most interested in sustainability and the earliest adopters of sustainable products, reports higher usage of all listed products. They are twice as likely to use emerging eco-friendly products like those bearing the Eco-Pledge certification for car-care and household cleaning products. This is driven by a wide range of factors including levels of understanding, availability, price, perceived benefits, among others. Older Demographics Biggest Users of Green Auto-Care Products Consumers over 55 years old are the most prolific users of green products in the Product Group’s global markets, according to a recent survey by CapPartners Information & Communications. Both male and female groups 55 years and over reported above average use of the company’s environmentally friendly auto-care wipes and home cleansing goods. Leading the way was the 55-59 year-old female demographic, who was more than twice as likely as the average consumer to use these green products. Males 65-69 years old were second, more than 1.7 times as likely to use than the average consumer. In a rare insight to the penetration of these green products into the average home, 61.9% of survey respondents said that they do use some type of environmentally friendly product. When asked why they elect to purchase eco-friendly goods, a leading 33% of the group selected the self-gratifying “makes me feel good about myself.” When asked why they elect not to purchase or use green products, 50% of non-adopters cited high prices as the main factor. The next highest reason selected for avoiding green goods was “I do not believe that they are that much better for the environment,” at 17%. Of those that said they do not use environmentally friendly products, both male and female demographics aged 25-34 years old were among the “least likely to use” when compared with the international average. 82 percent of consumers buy the Product Group's Eco-Pledge green products, despite the economy. Four out of five people say they are still buying green products and services today - which sometimes cost more - even in the midst of a recession, according to a new study commissioned by Eco-Pledge. Half of the 1,000 people surveyed buy just as many green products now as before the economic downturn, while 19 percent say they are buying more green products. Fourteen percent say they are buying fewer environmentally green products. Just 9 percent of respondents say green advertising is their primary influencer. Twenty-one percent of consumers say a product’s reputation is the biggest factor they weigh when making purchasing decisions followed by word of mouth (19%) and brand loyalty (15%). About one in three consumers say they don’t know how to tell if green product claims are true. One in 10 consumers blindly trusts green product claims. Consumers are verifying green claims by reading the packaging (24%) and turning to research (going online, reading studies; 17%).
Related Articles -
Car care, car-care, autocare, chemicals, polishes, wax, wipes, wet wipes,
| 
