According to an article by Sheila M. J. Bonini and Jeremy M. Oppenheim dated October 2008 featured in the McKinsey Report Quarterly, there are 5 barriers—lack of awareness, negative perceptions, distrust, high prices, and low availability. Overcoming these 5 barriers is crucial if consumers are going to accept and support greener products. While the article did not focus on fashion products, the lessons learned are certainly applicable to the Fashion/Lifestyle industry.
Barrier 1 - Lack of Awareness
Resolution: Consumer Education. Companies, non-profits and government must not only educate consumers on specific products but also the larger issues of pollution, climate change, overfishing, and other environmental problems. The Energy Star program is a successful example of this partnership. Launched by the EPA and the US Department of Energy in 1992, Energy Star educates consumers about the way suitable products can cut energy use, save consumers money, and protect the environment. Every appliance that meets government energy-efficiency standards can carry the Energy Star label, which has gained widespread consumer recognition and trust through the education process.
Barrier 2 - Negative Perceptions
Resolution: Offer well-designed products made with quality raw materials. Fashion is an area that has worked to overcome negative perceptions and our discussion of Sam's Club organic cotton program illustrated this. Although this is not the case, much of sustainable Fashion is still clouded by the perception the 1960's hippie movement. In the Sam's Club case study, we discussed the tenet that green products must be equal to, or better than, conventional alternatives. In Fashion, people make their purchasing decisions based on style, color, hand (the feel of the fabric) and price. Green is the added value.
Barrier 3 - Distrust
Resolution: In an effort to gain the green consumer, some companies mislead consumers by highlighting a single positive product feature while ignoring the negative ones. Bamboo is a great example of this. Bamboo is a sustainable natural resource. It is easy to grow and replenishes itself very quickly, however, the process that makes bamboo into fiber (Bamboo Rayon) is one of the dirtiest processes in the Fashion industry. Companies must come clean about the true environmental impact of their products and their attempts to reduce it.Only then will consumers believe a company’s green claims. As we have mentioned before H&M, Patagonia and Timberland are examples of companies who do this.
Barrier 4 - High Prices
Resolution: This is a difficult one to overcome unless you are a huge company like Walmart or Payless that can keep prices low through the sheer volume of units they sell. Quanitfying the savings and environmental returns for the consumer on their investment is a good start. Creating a design or positioning a brand in such a way that the consumer is known to be environmentally conscious on sight is another way to help them justify the higher cost. For example, a person wearing the Patagonia label will be seen by others as environmentally conscious by wearing that brand.
Barrier 5 - Low Availability
Resolution: Make the products easy to buy. Advertise where they can be purchased. Invest in enough units to make a statement. Display items prominently at retail. Place Green products in prominent locations. On the fixtures, place them in the sweet spot "eye level". Provide educational materials or signage whenever possible. Make sure your employees are aware of the products and where they are placed so that they can help direct consumers through the store.
As a consumer, you have the power to overcome these barriers as well. Educate yourself on green products, production processes and producers. Research new green products for design - especially look and feel in Fashion. Consider the higher price against the benefits. Demand green products from your local retailers and support those retailers that supply them.
till next week --Restore, Refresh, Recycle and Renew
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12 comments:
I think it is great that you highlighted the five barriers to greener sales but even more great that you highlighted some solutions. This post and this blog is a small part of the big job that is educating everyday consumers like myself. Over the past few years, I have learned more and more about green products and I still have alot to learn. I am trying to incorporate these ideas into my lifestyle by looking for local, "organic" foods, cleaning products, and clothing. A major reason why it can be hard is a factor that you noted which is distrust. I have heard that many companies can use a very small amount of "eco-friendly" ingredients in food or organic fiber in clothing and can be able to label the entire product as organic or eco-friendly. This is not fair to consumers. There should be stricter regulations to prevent this. A great point you brought up that was especially important to fashion was negative perceptions. I know at least ten people that would agree that their perception of green clothing is that of the hippies or that is really rough and stiff. Companies that can accomplish green clothing that is still trendy there will be a big surge in sales. Hopefully, through the solutions that you've presented government and companies can help to improve the sales of green products.
After reading about the 5 barriers that are diminishing sales of green products, I definitely must say that I agree with much of what is said. I know that several of these barriers especially; lack of awareness, high prices, and low availability have been perceived as negatives for me as a consumer as well. I feel that the lack of awareness issue is one that with more awareness of how the way we live is affecting our environment, would definitely drive consumers to purchase green more often. I think we all know that our production in our world is negatively impacting the environment, but if we were more educated on what exactly the issues are and how these products are making a difference, we would be more likely to buy in. Negative perceptions are a problem as well, but I do feel that the industry is making huge advancements in what quality and style green products are made. This is something that consumers will continue to demand and over time will be exposed to more of the quality products that are out there. Since so many brands are joining this movement, distrust is becoming an issue as well. This is something that would diminish with education also since consumers cannot really tell if the brand is green or just stating that they are. High prices are another barrier that definitely is having an affect on my generation and purchases. With the new green technology and trends consumers as well as companies are going to struggle with keeping costs low. Just over the last year though, lower price eco-friendly clothing has definitely been offered more than ever. This also goes hand in hand with low availability issues. Just as the other barriers, this should improve over time and with education. Eco-friendly specialty stores are popping up everywhere, if we continue to support them and hopefully find ways to decrease costs, more stores will open and do well, thus making green products easier to find. I think a lot of these are great solutions that would definitely increase consumers buying green if we urge and implement them.
I am pleased to see that these 5 barriers were mentioned because these are all significant reasons why many are not ‘buying’ into green products. I think that the vendors of the green products need to get their positive educational message to the public and its prospective consumers so that they know what they are about to buy. I am sure there has to be more environmentally friendly products out there, but we have no idea because they are well advertised and their message is left in the dust. We, as conscious consumers, should educate ourselves but we cannot do it all on our own. We need to know that true green products are out there and available to us. I have come to the realization that not all green products resemble that of hippies, but many have not come to the same conclusion. Lifestyle and fashion companies of all images should be able to devote at least one line of product to being ‘green’ so that environmentally friendly products are available according to an individual’s style. One should not have to sacrifice style in order to buy a green product. One should also not have to sacrifice an entire paycheck just to support the green movement. I hope that, in time, green merchandise will become more available, contain a clear message, and be priced reasonably.
I think that consumer education needs go beyond influencing what people buy. Understanding the environmental detriment caused by everyday functions like washing clothes needs to also be addressed. In Kate Fletcher’s Sustainable Fashion and Textiles she roughly estimates that the laundering of clothes accounts for three times the environmental impact than that of production of the clothes. Consumer lifestyles need to change in addition to purchasing behavior. I think it is also important that consumers begin to shift their perception of shopping green. Ultimately the only way to completely reduce the environmental footprint of consumption is to stop shopping. This evidently is not realistic so instead consumers need to start really questioning the necessity of purchasing a good. They should not buy a product just because it is “green” and therefore “good” for the environment. Most products labeled as green do not nourish the environment in any way; they just have a reduced negative impact. The impact is still there, it is just less than that of conventional products. As for the barrier of distrust and lack of transparency it is really disturbing what manipulation many corporations commit. As consumers we can only hope that legislation will soon be established forcing retailers to take responsibility for the operations of their suppliers. A great example is H&Ms approach to Corporate Social Responsibility. H&M is extremely passionate about social justice in suppliers, particularly in the case of child labor. They will follow up on victims to ensure they are in school and even attempt to get a child’s family member to take the open position in the factory in exchange. Although critics still debate about the effectiveness of H&Ms efforts it is encouraging to see their honest attempts displayed openly on their website. In a way the concept of education and distrust go hand in hand. Consumers need to first learn about the issues to recognize the reason why retailers cannot be trusted. From here NGOs and hopefully the government will have to teach consumers the how to find and judge retailers as transparent and ethical.
The 5 barriers to greener sales is a great way to get across to retailers and let them know what it takes to get green sales out there. These are the things retailers are going to have to do in order to get the consumer to buy green products. I agree with all the ways companies and stores can go about getting people to buy green products. I would definitely start buying more eco-friendly, green products if I saw better advertisements for green products. I feel like green products are just starting to make an impact but they haven't made it big enough yet for there to be a massive amount of advertising. I feel like there is a lack of advertising for green products and they should start making a bigger deal about how important it is for us to become more eco-friendly. It's good that big companies like Wal-mart and Payless are carrying green products, hopefully this will start a chain reaction and every retailer will have green products and they will be good quality at a good price.
I really like that this article was about the "five barriers" because it is something that is not discussed a lot. I was most surprised about the bamboo fiber. I was aware that several products are said to be green but are hurting the environment during production. I was unaware of bamboo and am surprised because I see it everywhere. In other fashion classes we learned mostly about the dye process that was hurting the environment however I am sure that there are many more problems as well. I really like the idea of all products having the seal to prove that they are a good quality and good for the environment. Not to long ago Oprah did a special about green vs. organic. Not many people knew the difference. As a consumer myself I too was very confused by it all. Some companies say green and organic. I know that there is an organic symbol that appears on many products if they are certified organic. The problem with this is that several smaller companies are not certified but are in fact organic. It costs a lot of money to become certified. Because of all of this it really does make the perception of these products foggy to the consumer. If I see something green I will believe it is green. I am not one to look for a special symbol. However maybe I will start. All of this evidence coming out about products being green or natural but going through a terrible process to get there reminds me of the political commercials that were recently aired. Very good timing for this blog post to be written!
As a consumer, these barriers have entered my mind on occasion while I was shopping or reading up on certain items. I never realized them as Barriers, so I'm glad it was brought up. I have a hard time with distrust when it comes to green products. I don't really know who to trust when it comes to what products are truly green and who are just slapping it on as a label so that people will be tricked into buying their product. I had heard that bamboo was not good when it comes to producing it, and I wish this was more widely known to consumers.
I think it's strange that there is a negative perception on green clothing. Why would anyone think badly on helping the environment? Even if it does remind them of the hippie movement in the 1960s, I feel like that would not be the first thing I think of when I decide on buying organic clothing.
Sometimes high prices are what I think of when purchasing clothes, but the past few months/years have brought lower priced organic clothing and I am more willing to look into that.
The article you reviewed was very interesting in that it highlights the issues that are not always just stated bluntly. All of the things mentioned do make complete sense to me. One thing I was thinking about as I was reading was the economic crisis. I know the author of the article was surely speaking of the broader picture, but I was just thinking about how the dwindling economy is affecting the green movement. With people feeling that they have less disposable income, there has been a decrease in sales. I cannot begin to list all the articles I have read about companies doing poorly, and fear of the upcoming holiday season for the retail market. This cannot be good for the green movement with people being so conscious of money. What is going to be more important to the consumer this upcoming holiday season, saving money they might need or spending the extra dollars on doing good for the environment. I do not have any facts on what I'm talking about, this is purely opinion based, so if anyone knows for a fact how the economy is affecting green I'd love to hear about it. However, the points the author makes are very applicable to the way I feel about purchasing green. I often do not trust companies that state it is a green product. Actually today, I bought a green candle made from soy. I walked out of the store with the best smelling candle in the world, honestly. However, I am burning it right now and I do not smell a trace of it. It's scentless and I'm not happy. haha. I never hear many articles on whether or not the quality is as good. This is my first encounter with something not being as functional as something that is not earth friendly.
The 5 barriers to greener sales are very valid. Each point is something that I discovered as s reason for not always choosing the green products. I feel that when green started becoming more prevalent in the market, the quality was definitely not up to par. My impressions of these products and their abilities were low and I tend to have a hard time straying from my comfort products. I think it is important to note that the major household brands that I grew up with are creating green versions of their products. This is a great idea because it allows people who already trust a brand and it’s products to easily switch to more eco-friendly products. The price is also something that I think is important, it seems hard to buy an item that costs more than another product. What is great about everyday brands is the idea that they are able to price their products to compete with their other products.
I agree that all 5 Barriers mentioned are part of the reasoning for low sales on Green product throughout the nation. The two that I feel are the most important on the list are -Lack of awareness and -Low availability. These two barriers have great potential to be over came, it will take some time and a lot of effort. The best way to increase awareness must come from education as early in a child's life as possible. School Districts across the nation need to incorporate green education into the curriculum.
As far as overcoming the low availability of green products, the only way company's will be able to over come this situation will be by taking a risk in funding and promoting a green way of life, with much effort put forth and lots of marketing the demand for green products are sure to increase.
-Kristan Alekna
While the five barriers to greener sale are presented and make complete sense, I feel we must also point out how our country’s current economic state is affecting these barriers. With the large amount of people cutting back spending, the greener sales are being hit hard because, as described in the post, “Green is the added value.” Even though people buy based on style, color, hand, and price, price is going to play a larger role in the months to come. Because of the higher prices of green products, the other 4 barriers will come into play and negatively affect the shopper’s decision to buy green. As people cut back, they are taking the time to analyze their purchases. Do they really need it or not? I, personally, have taking the time to question to necessity for certain things and feel that unless I was a devout green shopper I wouldn’t spend the extra cash because of my budget.
I certainly agree with these barriers, but I also agree with Jessica's post about the economic crisis. The first step is always education. This post alone taught me that there are resolutions to any problem as long we break them down and handle them step by step. Education, as said it previous blog posts, needs to begin young and work its way up into companies as well. Also, availability is key. I, myself, would not mind purchasing green products over others but never think about it as these "other" products are pushed in front of me way more than the sustainable ones. For me, it is simply a matter of forgetting they exist, but I wouldn't forget if they were placed properly and advertised accordingly to my market. In terms of pricing, this is where I must agree with Jessica and say that no one is going to choose the price and green factor over the elements of "style color, and hand." Price comes first no matter what to most. If a product keeps you warm, then why would you spend hundreds on cashmere when you can get a cheaper wool. Both keep you warm but one can cost five times more. So with green products and this crisis, people feel that their budget is most important as long as the products do the same thing anyway.
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