Decline in Consumer Confidence in “Eco Products and Services”?

[emz]

I'm sure once products start delivering on promises people will believe in them again. After all, we live in an age when people need to save money on energy and food and stuff.

[The Green Flash]

It's not purchasing a subscription at all. You start off by making an account, but from there, there's lots of options available. The free download is only an incentive. Right now JJ's got this thing where he's matching donations to other organizations dollar for dollar, so you CAN help out by staying on your butt. For the more active people, the site has stuff (recommendations) that people can do, too. Check the linked non-profit organizations closer to you if you want to volunteer. I don't know if you listen to Jack or pay attention to what he's doing, but he's offsetting ALL of his tour emissions whilst trying to raise awareness for environmental issues. At his concerts he has a Village Green up where Non-Profits can set up booths and advocate their cause, such as getting people away from water bottles, cleaning up beaches, etc. So look more deeply into the site.

[forfismum]

Karl has and I agree with him.This is just another bloody racket.

[The Green Flash]

Even if you guys don't like the website, there's links to 179 Non-Profit groups categorized by area of interest, so you can use it to branch off to find some volunteer work to your liking.

[forfismum]

Look,if you had done your homework and had a look around this forum before you posted you would have seen that the very site is a volunteer occupation.Our Admin runs it for the benefit of charity.You also may have picked up on the work that many of us are engaged in and our contribution to the "environment " and in making the place cleaner and safer for us all to live in.Our members have published many lists of things to do and we quite honestly do not need any tainted by commerce.Read the post from Karl again and you will see why we frown upon this type of intrusion from any person or group trying to jump on the bandwagon.never try to teach your grandmother to suck eggs.

[Karl]

Originally Posted by The Green Flash

Even if you guys don't like the website...

@ The Green Flash & Alto, you have already posted an ad that has little relevance to the discussion of this thread; I only responded since an investigation of your "product" provided an excellent example of the greenwashing dubiousness of those jumping on the bandwagon for profit. When you return here to defend this John Jackson concert tour, you do little than further divert from the intended topic of the thread, so if you feel the need to defend this Juan Jackstein concert you can always start another thread - in the appropriate section such as the loony-bin forum lower down the page. Your off-topic refutations are out-of-place posts (oop-posts) in relation to this thread, or for that matter this section which is called "Environmental News and Discussion Forum" for a reason.

[Karl]

In returning to the topic, another article discussing these trends:

Marketing of 'green' loses some buzz and credibility

The International Herald Tribune, July 7, 2008

Over the past year, marketers around the world have jumped onto the green bandwagon. But the sheer volume of environmental advertising and the flimsiness of the claims in some of the campaigns show signs of generating an unintended effect. Instead of serving as a call to action or casting brands in a positive light, these ads are generating an increasingly skeptical response.

''After 18 months, levels of concern on any issue tend to drop off,'' said Jonathan Banks, business insight director at Nielsen, the market research company, in Britain. ''I fear that something similar may happen with this.'' With everyone - from oil companies to dishwasher makers to banks - promoting environmental credentials, consumers have been deluged in green-linked advertising and consumer complaints have risen.
...
Agencies are also trying to work their way around consumer skepticism as they devise strategies for clients. Mike Lawrence, executive vice president of corporate responsibility at Cone, a brand strategy agency in Boston, said some consumer concerns may stem from the way in which many green-themed ads are done, rather than any objection to associating brands with an environmental message. "There's a gap between what the marketers are doing and what consumers are receiving," he said. "The marketers may not realize the gap is there, and that's a dangerous thing".

The problem, he said, occurs when marketers make exaggerated claims about a product's attributes, which may be fine when selling toothpaste or vacations. Most people probably know that the toothpaste won't actually make their teeth sparkle or help them get the girl, but they play along with the joke. But when an advertiser says its product will actually ''improve the environment,'' or some variation on that theme, savvy consumers recoil, Lawrence said, knowing that, in all likelihood, what is actually meant is that the product is only less bad for the environment than it could be, or than competing goods. ''This can really backfire with environmental advertising,'' Lawrence said.

Read Full Article: World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD)

[Karl]

Some further discussion related to this topic: CSR Skepticism high because of Greenwashing | CorporateResponsibility.Net

QUOTE
“…It is therefore not only important for companies to make their CSR values known and aligned to the consumer; it must be done authentically to promote trust in the brand, NMI says. While many consumers remain unsure of the details, the corporate world does, as a whole, appear to be making some progress…”

Full Article: Corporate CSR Skepticism Fueled by ‘Greenwashing Washout’ · Environmental Leader · Green Business, Sustainable Business, and Green Strategy News for Corporate Sustainability Executives

[UrbanFarmboy]

You also have to reaslize that the economy is getting rough and margins are shrinking. Its all well an d good to be an eco-maniac, but when times are tough, its just not worth the extra price to consumers.

[shantianti]

I think skepticism has a lot to do with it. Personally I try to be careful with what I buy and over the years have come to learn what to look for and to read the labels. Years ago I would have bought the "green" product but that was long before the days of greenwashing. Now I think I am more skeptical of those products than the non-green ones and will read the labels to see if their claims are valid. If they are not, as often is the case, I will not buy them out of principle.