An interesting new study just released in Australia reveals that shoppers in that nation harbour the very best in ‘green tendencies’ but that the conversion of eco-planning to actual eco-purchasing seems to often fall down by the time a customer reaches the checkout. The new study was compiled by Macquarie University in conjunction with Panasonic as part of an environmental sustainability initiative and determined that a gap exisits between the intent (in terms of eco-friendly shopping) and the actual purchasing habits.

Although its simply a single study pertinent to one nation the results are concerning and ask questions as to how to bridge that gap, both from the retailer’s perspective and manufacturers also. The most alarming result is that while 75% of consumers tend to ‘consider’ environmental features before shopping, but just 20% then go on to purchase goods with eco credentials. I immediately wondered if that could partially be a result of product choice as well as the more likely determining factor of cost. The research focused on the habit of over 2,000 consumers when considering and purchasing a range of electronics goods including washing machines, cameras, televisions and other household electronics.

The head of research for the study Professor Tim Flannery, expressed that environmental goals aren’t going to be reached as readily as targeted until consumers are as prepared to buy green as they already seem to be in terms of ‘thinking green’.  He expressed that consumption and future purchasing are both inevitable and that continued awareness of environmental impact is the most logical way forward.

While his comments certainly make sense my feeling is that market research and product labeling already makes the informational piece of the decision for the product types studied readily available. Smart eco-shopping doesn’t take as much effort as a decade ago for many types of products so a more important piece of future research would be to determine which factors lower the actual sales of the greener option based on product type. As so many decisions are made with the pocketbook comprehensive research that shows how much more a consumer is prepared to pay for a ‘green equivalent’. That data in conjunction with manufacturing costs will ultimately determine the effectiveness of a campaign to sell an eco-friendly product.

The study offered many other findings including: the actual ‘eco features’ of a product counted for at best 20% of the the purchase intent and eco features appealed most to the youngest consumers (18-24) and the oldest (over 55). I find that surprising, I’d expect the age groups in the middle to be as eco-conscious in their shopping habits. Not the most encouraging report I’ve read recently but I’m sure a lot can be learned from it. You can learn more about the sustainability initiatives at Macquarie University in Sydney by following this link.