EUROPEANS MORE “GREEN CONSCIOUS” THAN AMERICANS

A new survey has revealed that Europeans are 50 percent more likely to buy environmentally-friendly products than Americans, from solar panels to organic foods and sustainable wood to toiletries and household products. The survey also shows that Europeans are 25 percent more likely to recycle and to try to influence their family and friends to buy green goods and be environmentally conscious.

Green consciousness is now a way of life in Europe.

The results of the LOHAS (Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability) study, which were released on 29 October, show how far green consciousness has filtered into everyday European life. The study divided the adult population of Europe according to people’s buying patterns, product use and attitudes to various matters, including sustainability, corporate responsibility and the use of environmentally friendly products and services.

The eight countries featured in the survey were Belgium, Germany, Spain, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal and the United Kingdom. Insights revealed included what people think about health and environmentalism, as well as how they affect their lives, where they buy environmentally-friendly goods, what motivates their choices, and their attitudes towards issues such as the responsibility of large corporations towards the environment.

The results also showed that Europeans are 32 percent more likely to buy products that have organic or environmental stamps of authenticity on them, despite the fact that the researchers found that Europeans are approximately 25 percent less likely than American shoppers to pay more for environmentally friendly products.

Environmental initiatives carried out by the European Union in the past 20 years, such as the creation of recycling points across Europe, and policies on major environmental issues such as sustainability and cleaner air and water have played a large role in developing a “green consciousness” among European consumers. The enormous rise in popularity of organic food production and natural medicines and therapies, which are publicised frequently in the media, are also contributing to the growing green consciousness.

The LOHAS survey was the result of a partnership between the Natural Marketing Institute (NMI) and the international public relations firm Porter Novelli. Steve French, managing partner at the NMI, said, ‘As the global eco-momentum in the marketplace continues, the LOHAS movement will accelerate consumer alignment of social beliefs and personal values with those of brands and companies. It is this frame of mind that will drive the LOHAS market and make sustainability the key growth driver of long-term stakeholder and brand equity for decades. We are delighted to partner PN in helping companies to understand this truly sustainable opportunity.

Source: European Commission Research, November 14th 2007

UNDERSTANDING THE EUROPEAN LOHAS MARKET

Conducted in partnership with Porter Novelli’s (PN) first EuroPN Styles study, the data and analysis in this report were fielded in July 2007 via a primary consumer survey of 16,000+ adults, 2,000+ in each of eight countries: Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain and the United Kingdom. The results of this survey are nationally projectable to each country’s adult online population and statistically valid at the 95% confidence level +/- 2%. The data have been post-weighted to match multiple census demographic measures. The study utilized a leading online research firm, and was designed, managed, and analyzed by NMI and PN.

This research was conducted because companies across a diverse range of industries and geographies are recognizing a growth in ethical consumerism and a shift in how consumers purchase goods and services. As eco-momentum and social consciousness grow, consumers are drawn to companies whose values and social beliefs are aligned with their own. There is a global market opportunity to help companies effectively market goods and services to this nuanced and dynamic consumer marketplace. The partnership between PN and NMI provides clients with a complete end-to-end solution, from consumer segmentation and insights, to counsel on product development and packaging, to strategic communications campaigns and measurement and evaluation.

One of the motivations for conducting this research is the commonly held belief that Europeans are, as a whole, “greener” than Americans. While in many respects this is true, the LOHAS survey results are more nuanced than that. Europeans certainly are heavier consumers of many green products, but not of all green products. And, while they are more passionate than Americans in some regards, this is also not true across all measures.

One of the more unexpected findings in this analysis is that “not all segments are created equal”: segments in different countries behave quite differently. Specifically, NATURALITES in many European countries are significantly more engaged in many green behaviors than NATURALITES in the U.S. Also, CONVENTIONALS in many European countries sometimes are more engaged than LOHAS consumers (in, for example, recycling). Only in a few instances has NMI found another segment to be more active than LOHAS consumers, underscoring the significance of this find. Consequently, DRIFTERS (who in the U.S. are currently a very opportunistic segment) appear to be much more challenging to appeal to in most European countries.

LOHAS behaviors and attitudes in many European countries seem somewhat second nature. As government policies in these countries have encouraged green behavior for many years (e.g., gasoline taxes), this is to be expected.

Since many companies that are active in (or are exploring) the LOHAS space operate globally, these subtle differences become important. Products that are viable in one geography also have potential in others. Marketing and positioning may need to vary culturally, but the opportunity is certainly expanded.

Also important are the significant attitudinal and behavioral differences within the eight countries surveyed. As most European marketers know, a national (and sometimes local) context is needed to make a product successful. These data and analysis can be used to understand where the true opportunities lie, and to identify the cultural differences that will affect a product’s launch.

NMI believes that the European LOHAS marketplace is very opportunistic and will remain so for the foreseeable future. As so, there are basic principles that hold true regardless of the country. That said, the information contained in this report will allow marketers and strategists more specific understanding of target markets and consumers, which will increase the probability of success.

Source: Marketresearch.com