Sustainability Study Shows "Green" Growing
October 15, 2009
Despite a down economy, eco-friendliness remains a consideration for consumers, especially when the price is right.
That's among the results of the 2009 Green Home Furnishings Consumer study, which was conducted by the Sustainable Furnishings Council (SFC) and sponsored by World Market Center Las Vegas. The study is the second annual wave of a national survey aiming to measure consumer awareness, interest and behavior related to sustainable furnishings. This year's results were consistent with the results from 2008 and confirm that the economy has not dampened eco-friendly consumer interest.
"There was nothing really good out there in the public domain that was current, and certainly not specific to the home furnishings industry," said Jeff Hiller, president of SFC. "We wanted to determine how people were thinking about sustainability and how much they would be willing to pay. The study is about awareness and activation levels."
Hiller says the study gives unprecedented perspective into the consumer's thought process, as it applies to sustainability and their homes.
"This research has clarified some important trends," he said. "Most critical is that there is a significant portion of the buying public out there in our markets that is very interested in at least hearing the story of sustainability in our product categories."
Among other findings, the study discovered the following:
* Consumers are significantly interested in purchasing sustainable home furnishings, with two important qualifiers: if they like the style and it costs about the same. If both style and price are on par, more than 80 percent of consumers indicate some level of interest.
* 50 percent automatically assume that a green product will cost more without any inspection.
* Nearly half of consumers are relatively equally concerned about a broad range of environmental issues, from deforestation to unfair labor practices.
* 28 percent of consumers are directly affected by indoor air quality issues, but 44 percent not directly affected think everybody should be concerned.
* On global warming, 44 percent claim to be very interested in doing what they can, like recycling at home, adjusting the thermostat, switching to CFL bulbs, using reusable shopping bags and buying a variety of green products.
Hiller says that the facts gleaned from this study have the power to really make a difference in the sustainable furnishings industry.
"It's a supply issue, not a consumer issue," he said. "This research shows there is a ready market out there for products that are positioned as responsible, eco-friendly products that don't cost an arm an a leg. Many, many options don't cost any more than similar products that are not eco-friendly."
That's among the results of the 2009 Green Home Furnishings Consumer study, which was conducted by the Sustainable Furnishings Council (SFC) and sponsored by World Market Center Las Vegas. The study is the second annual wave of a national survey aiming to measure consumer awareness, interest and behavior related to sustainable furnishings. This year's results were consistent with the results from 2008 and confirm that the economy has not dampened eco-friendly consumer interest.
"There was nothing really good out there in the public domain that was current, and certainly not specific to the home furnishings industry," said Jeff Hiller, president of SFC. "We wanted to determine how people were thinking about sustainability and how much they would be willing to pay. The study is about awareness and activation levels."
Hiller says the study gives unprecedented perspective into the consumer's thought process, as it applies to sustainability and their homes.
"This research has clarified some important trends," he said. "Most critical is that there is a significant portion of the buying public out there in our markets that is very interested in at least hearing the story of sustainability in our product categories."
Among other findings, the study discovered the following:
* Consumers are significantly interested in purchasing sustainable home furnishings, with two important qualifiers: if they like the style and it costs about the same. If both style and price are on par, more than 80 percent of consumers indicate some level of interest.
* 50 percent automatically assume that a green product will cost more without any inspection.
* Nearly half of consumers are relatively equally concerned about a broad range of environmental issues, from deforestation to unfair labor practices.
* 28 percent of consumers are directly affected by indoor air quality issues, but 44 percent not directly affected think everybody should be concerned.
* On global warming, 44 percent claim to be very interested in doing what they can, like recycling at home, adjusting the thermostat, switching to CFL bulbs, using reusable shopping bags and buying a variety of green products.
Hiller says that the facts gleaned from this study have the power to really make a difference in the sustainable furnishings industry.
"It's a supply issue, not a consumer issue," he said. "This research shows there is a ready market out there for products that are positioned as responsible, eco-friendly products that don't cost an arm an a leg. Many, many options don't cost any more than similar products that are not eco-friendly."
Companies Mentioned:
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Green will continue to grow with companies whose designs propel the business. I agree with Jeff Hiller in that when a consumer realizes that there is little or no compromise in quality, design, or cost they'll opt for green.
Wally Stryk asianartimports.com