Well, I've looked everywhere, but I cannot find a pair of articles I read earlier this month that asserted:
- That
26% of North Americans consistently spend significantly more for
socially and environmentally responsible products, even if that caused
them some financial hardship, and
- That this percentage was modestly U-shaped against income -- lowest for middle-income earners.
In
the process of trying to find these articles, I reviewed some two dozen
surveys dating back to 1992. They revealed the following information:
- The
percentage who claim to be socially and environmentally conscious in
their behaviour has been rising (from about 40% to 60%); the percentage
whose actually buy socially and environmentally conscious products has
stayed flat (about 4%).
- Depending on how the question is phrased, the percentage who claim to 'buy green' varies from 10% to over 90%.
- Actual
buying behaviour studies suggest that price, quality and convenience
still outweigh 'green' in the majority of buyers' decision criteria:
"people do noy actually buy the products they claim to prefer".
- While
a majority claim to be willing to pay more to buy 'green', studies
suggest that a price difference of more than 5% discourages the vast
majority of buyers.
- A third of people surveyed say they don't believe social and environmental product claims.
- Few people surveyed were aware of which companies had reputations as socially and environmentally responsible, or irresponsible.
- Surveys
were wildly inconsistent in assessing which demographic groups were
'greenest; some said the oldest, others the youngest, some said the
richest, others the poorest.
- Surveys in the 1990s suggest that
18-20% of all people (and more women than men) consistently shop for
socially and environmentally responsible products, even if they cost
considerably more.
So whether the number is 18% or 26%, it
does seem to represent the percentage of people who are willing to put
their money where their mouth is, and invest some time and energy to
research and seek out green products.
I think it's an
encouraging number, and as information increases, the population ages
and the middle class disappears, it's likely to rise. The popularity of
my Boycott List is a sign, I think, that these people really give a
damn.
Suppose the number is 26%. Who are the other 74% that we
still need to inform or convert? My guess, judging from the
cross-section of people I know, is that they fall into five groups:
- The
problem deniers: Those who think there is no need to be socially or
environmentally conscious, because if there's a problem 'the market'
will take care of it. (My guess: 20%)
- The uninformed: Those who
have no idea what's going on in the world, or that there is any reason
to be socially or environmentally conscious. (My guess: 14%)
- The
disengaged: Those who are too busy to think about social and
environmental issues (including those who never shop, and get others to
shop for them, with specific instructions). (My guess: 10%)
- The
cynics: Those who think all the consciousness claims are a con, and
that it doesn't matter what you buy. (My guess: 10% and rising)
- The
well-intentioned: Those who think it's important to be green, but get
sucked in or distracted or pressured by other priorities ("No Mom, we
have to buy this brand") so their actions don't match their values. (My guess: 20%)
Each of these five groups requires a different approach:
- The problem deniers: Ignore them: you'll just waste time trying to persuade them. Wait until they're ready to listen.
- The
uninformed: Tell them, gently, a better solution. No lectures, no
horror stories. Don't harp on what's wrong with what they're buying,
tell them what's right about the green alternative. High road.
- The disengaged: Get to the people who do the shopping for them. Fortunately, those people are probably women.
- The
cynics: Cynics are often romantics and idealists at heart. Tell them a
story about a company that's doing something positive that makes a
difference. You can argue about data, but you can't argue about a good
story.
- The well-intentioned: Make it easier for them. Help
green companies get shelf space, add value (recipes with food products)
and convenience. Show this group by example that there's no hardship in
buying green.
If we could win over the second, third and fifth
groups and half the cynics, we'd have three quarters of the buyers
buying green. The suppliers would have no choice but to listen and
adapt.
Of course, we'd still have to do battle with the
greenwashers. But in an age of increasing information and connectivity,
propaganda is an expensive and risky way to keep customers.
We have the power. It's time to use it. 26% is an army large enough to change the world.
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MADE IN CANADA
trust your
instincts 
