Green Washing Project

8/9/2019 Green Washing Project

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/green-washing-project 1/22

Do “Green” Consumers Always BuyEnvironmentally Friendly Cleaning Products?

Team 2Sarah ClamonsLorrie EtheridgeLea Ann Gates

Gina Minks

Florida State UniversityInstructional Systems Program

EME6635: Inquiry and Measurement—Spring 2009April 26, 2009



EME 6635—Do Green Consumers Always Buy Environmentally Friendly Cleaning Products?

Executive Summary

Sustainable living refers to a lifestyle that attempts to reduce the use of the Earth’s

natural resources. The term sustainable living is also used interchangeably with the terms

“living green” and “environmentally friendly” living. In March 2009, a small scale studywas conducted in Tallahassee, Florida to investigate if adults who claim to want to live

“green” lifestyles actually purchase environmentally friendly home cleaning products. An

anonymous online survey was designed to determine if consumers face certain barrierswhen making “green” purchasing decisions.

The study collected information about the level to which the participants understood

common green terminology. Also, the participants were given a list of cleaning products

and asked to choose the ones they purchase on a regular basis. The list was a mix of green and non-green commercial products and natural products. Finally, the survey

questioned the participants to determine their personal attitudes about five common

barriers consumers face when making green purchasing decisions: costs, thetrustworthiness of the marketing, the availability of green cleaning products, negative

attitudes and the methods used to advertise “green” cleaning products.

The study found that even though all of the participants claimed to be green, only 7%

exclusively used only green or natural cleaning products. Even though many of the participants were overwhelmed by the green terminology, 76% were influenced to

purchase products simply because the word “green” is on the label. In general, the

participants seemed to desire more information about a product in order to make a better purchasing decision with only 30% of the participants believing they had enough

information to make an informed purchasing decision when it comes to “green” cleaning

products.

The survey results indicated that while participants preferred green products over non-green products, several factors influenced whether they actually purchased

environmentally friendly products. 73% of participants factor cost into the equation when

considering the purchase of green cleaning products. Another possibly larger factor wasthe distrust of the manufacturers’ claims about their products with 88% of participants

indicating they believe companies must prove their products are green. Finally, the study

revealed an association between the age groups surveyed and their use of green or natural

cleaning products. 40% of the youngest group used natural cleaning products, while100% of the oldest group did so.

Based on the study results, it seems that consumers who desire to live a “green” lifestyle

do not necessarily purchase “green” cleaning products for their home. A second version

of the study could further examine issues such as determining measurements of a “greenlifestyle”, if age is truly a factor, and if the geographical location is a factor in the

consumer’s ability to purchase “green” cleaning products.

2



EME 6635—Do Green Consumers Always Buy Environmentally Friendly Cleaning Products? 3




IntroductionThis study examined the buying habits of American consumers who have expressed the

desire to live a “green” lifestyle. It was relatively easy to find people who assert that theyare taking steps to live a ”green” lifestyle. The specific area of “green” living examined

was whether individuals make informed decisions about how the cleaning products purchased impact the environment. The study also examined if the purchasing choices

made by individuals are affected by factors such as personal attitudes, costs, availability,distrust of manufacturers, or misleading advertising.

In the US, the market for household cleaning products was estimated to be 7 billiondollars. Companies compete for that market with advertising and packaging, but are their

marketing confusing to consumers who wish to lead a “green” lifestyle?

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to discover what barriers, if any, inhibit Americans whowant to live a “green” lifestyle from purchasing “green” cleaning products. Research

shows that there is a gap between the number of consumers who say they purchase

“green” products and the number of consumers who actually do so (Consumers Want“Green” Products, 2007). In their study, they focused on five potential barriers consumers

face when purchasing products: cost, lack of advertising, availability, distrust, and

negative perceptions of companies selling “green” cleaning products (Bonini and

Oppenheim, 2008).

Rationale

The concept of “living green” is pervasive in American media, but there does not seem to be much in the way of guidance for consumers about how to choose “green” cleaning

products. The decision was made to focus on cleaning products because it washypothesized that everyone purchases some sort of cleaning supplies for completing

household chores, and these items are potentially the most toxic things consumers can

purchase.

The Green Gap survey (Do “Green” Conscious, 2008) is conducted annually by Cone

LLC in collaboration with The Boston College Center for Corporate Citizenship. The2008 survey of American adults focused primarily on consumer attitudes towards

advertising, definitions, and purchasing of “environmentally friendly” products. They

found that people are confused by green advertising and green terms, and that peoplewant there to be oversight of marketing efforts by green manufacturers.

The primary focus for this study is to discover whether consumers purchase cleaning products that are potentially harmful to the environment while believing that they practice

an environmentally friendly lifestyle.

4




Aims/Objectives

The purpose of the study was to shed light on the state of “green” living habits of

American consumers by looking at how they approach the purchase of cleaning productsfor their homes. A survey was designed to determine if consumers face certain barriers,

including cost, lack of advertising, distrust in companies, availability and negative

attitudes when making “green” purchasing decisions. The survey supports the secondarygoal of understanding what factors influence the purchasing decisions of consumers.

Research Questions

The main research question for the study was:

Do American consumers who desire to practice a “green” lifestyle actually chooseenvironmentally friendly cleaning products?

The supporting question for the study was:

If these consumers want to live a “green” life style but still chose cleaning products that were not environmentally friendly, did factors such as cost or

greenwashing affect their decision?

BackgroundSustainable living refers to a lifestyle that attempts to reduce the use of the Earth’s

natural resources (“Sustainable Living,” 2009). This philosophy of living revolves aroundthe concept that the Earth’s resources should not be depleted faster than they can be

replenished. Sustainable living includes reducing energy consumption and reducing

unnecessary waste. Sustainable living is also used interchangeably with the terms “livinggreen” and “environmentally friendly” living.

Even though many Americans desire to live “green”, there seems to be a gap between thenumber of consumers who indicate a desire to purchase “green” products and the number

of those consumers who actually purchase “green” products. “Eighty-two percent of the

population claims to make going green a priority, but as this data proves, the behaviors of

those consumers vary drastically. While certain ‘green’ conscious consumers do make aconcerted effort to buy ‘green’ products, there are certain segments of the population that

are environmentally sensitive but that does not necessarily translate into their actual

behavior” (Do “Green” Conscious, 2008). Other studies (Cone Releases 2008 Green,2008) have found that Americans erroneously believe products labeled as “green” have a

beneficial impact on the environment.

Bonini and Oppenheim (2008) identified five barriers that consumers face when

considering “green” purchases: “lack of awareness, negative perceptions, distrust, high

prices, and low availability.” Pickett-Baker and Ozaki (2008) point out that even thoughthe desire to purchase “green” products exists, consumers have difficulty locating these

products due to lack of marketing efforts. When consumers do find these products, many

5




of them feel that the companies are just trying to sell more of their product (Cone

Releases 2008 Green, 2008).

Additionally, consumers are faced with greenwashing efforts. Greenwashing is a process

that manufacturers use to market non-“green” products as “green” (O’Brien, 1992). The

greenwashing problem is so bad that the US Government is taking a role to help protectconsumers from false “green” advertising (Sorting Out “Green”, 1999).

Since consumers face barriers to making decisions when considering “green” purchases,it is possible that there are consumers who believe they are living a sustainable lifestyle

who are not purchasing “green” products.

Research Methods

Approach

The research approach used for this study was the survey method. Respondents wereinvited to participate in a short online survey. They were informed of the topics to be

covered, as well as the time commitment required to complete the survey. Participation in

the survey was strictly voluntary and participants were informed of the option todiscontinue involvement at any point during the survey. The survey began with questions

to determine demographic information, such as age, gender and race, but respondents

were not asked to reveal their personal identity.

There was a potential for research bias since two of the four researchers work in fields

that promote “green” living. One works for a global computer hardware and software

company that is currently conducting a campaign to convert data centers so that they are

more environmentally friendly. Another recently managed a technology conference thatfocused on “green” initiatives. Care has been taken to focus on a research question that

will not be influenced by either of the researchers’ current position and care has beentaken so that there is a potential bias is not effect the data analysis.

Participants

The survey was administered to residents in the city of Tallahassee located in the state of Florida. Selected respondents were adults who self-identified as individuals who live a

“green” lifestyle. Respondents agreed to participate in a survey about their habits when

purchasing cleaning products. Attempts were made to approximate US population for

gender, age, and ethnicity, although a small sample was obtained and it is unlikely that itcould be assumed that the research would be applicable to the larger population of the US

population.

Participants were pre-screened and known to have a proclivity for a “green” lifestyle.

They were sent an email message inviting them to participate in the study. The initial

email is included in Appendix I.

6




In all, there were 26 respondents who completed the survey. About half of the

respondents were from age 40 -59. More women (69%) participated than men. The

majority of respondents (73%) had a Bachelor’s Degree or higher (see Table 1).

Table 1: Participant Information

Sample (n=26)

Age18-29

30-3940-59

60 and above

19%

27%

50%

4%

RaceAfrican American

Asian

Caucasian

HispanicNative American

Other

15%12%

69%

0%

0%

4%

GenderFemale

Male

69%21%

Education LevelSome High School

High School

Some College

Associate’s Degree

Bachelor’s Degree

Master’s Degree

Doctorate Degree

0%

8%

12%8%

38%

31%

4%

Data Collection

A survey instrument was constructed to facilitate data collection. The survey was

conducted online using Zoomerang, a surveying tool. A paper version was available to

individuals without internet access; however all respondents used the online version of the survey. Individual survey results were anonymous, and individual responses remained

confidential. The complete survey instrument as well as the data collected can be seen in

Appendix II.

Prospective respondents were contacted via word of mouth and email. Invitations to

participate in the survey were sent to 50 people that met the criteria of the sample

population. An additional respondent was recruited from an invitee. Twenty-eightrespondents replied to the invitation wishing to participate. Of those 28 respondents, 26

completed the survey. The response rate of 52% well exceeded the anticipated rate of

20%.

The survey link was sent to respondents with a reasonable amount of time to complete

the survey. The online survey data collection method was chosen in order to gather themost data in the shortest amount of time.

7




The survey was designed to determine if consumers face certain barriers when making

“green” purchasing decisions. The survey also contained census-type questions to see if additional factors such as age, gender, or education influenced purchasing decisions (see

Appendix II).

Questions were developed in the survey to measure the respondents’ knowledge of

common marketing terms used on the labels of “green” cleaning products. Respondents

were also asked questions regarding type of cleaning products they purchase and use, aswell as where they purchase the cleaning products. The cleaning products were chosen by

sampling the cleaning products used by the survey team, as well as by examining

products that were packaged as “green” or “eco-friendly” in a local grocery store.

Finally, questions were developed to determine the participants’ personal attitudes about

costs, the trustworthiness of the marketing, the availability of green cleaning products,

and the methods used to advertise “green” cleaning products.

A trial with the survey instrument was planned with a test group to determine if the

survey questions produced valid responses, but unfortunately was not conducted. If it had been conducted, a flaw in the survey instrument would have been discovered. The

question relating to natural cleaning products did not allow respondent to choose more

than one answer. It is unclear if incomplete data was collected due to this flaw.

Responses were organized using Zoomerang. Unfortunately, the free version of the

product did not allow downloading the information into an Excel file. The team spent

extra time transposing the Zoomerang information into Excel spreadsheets for moreanalysis.

Data Analysis

Information was collected regarding the respondents’ demographic data, purchasing

habits, and their understanding of terms and definitions used in marketing “green” products. Factors of cost, availability, distrust and advertising of “green” cleaning

products and manufacturers were also explored.

Findings/ResultsThis study set out to investigate whether Americans that say they are living “green”

purchase “green” cleaning products. The study also explored if the factors theorized byBonini and Oppenheim (2008) are actually preventing “green” lifestyle consumers frommaking environmentally sound choices with regards to cleaning products.

8




Data Findings

Purchasing/Cleaning Habits

Even though the criteria for participating in the survey was that the respondent self-

identify as a “green” consumer, only 7% of respondents either exclusively purchase

“green” products or only use natural cleaning products. 73% of the respondents use acombination of “green” products, natural cleaning products and “green” cleaning

products. A surprising 19% of the respondents reported that they do not use any “green” products or natural cleaning products. This includes one “no response” to the question

regarding natural cleaning products. Also surprising is that 69% of the respondents

disagree or strongly disagree that they use commercial cleaning products as a last resort.

Figure 1: Respondent use of commercial cleaning products

%4

%11%15

%58

%12

%0

%10

%20

%30

%40

%50

%60

%70

Percent of respondents who only use commercial cleaning

products as a last resort method

Strongly Agree Agree Unsure Disagree Strongly Disagree

Definitions of “Green” Terms

69% of the respondents agree or strongly agreed that they consider the environmental

impacts on their purchases. 76% of the respondents agreed or strongly agreed that having

the word “green” in the product label influences their purchasing decision. 42% of thesurvey takers agree or strongly agree that they are overwhelmed by the terminology.

Cost as a Factor Cost appears to be a factor. 73% of the respondents agreed or strongly agreed that they

consider cost when considering the purchase of “green” cleaning products. This findingconfirms the literature relating to purchasing habits and cost (see Figure 2).

9




Figure 2: Cost Considerations

%19

%54

%0

%27

%0%0

%10

%20

%30

%40

%50

%60

I consider the cost w hen choosing whether or not to purchase green cleaning products

Strongly agree Agree Unsure Disagree Strongly disagree

Availability

Only 38% agree that there is sufficient availability of “green” cleaning products. This

finding confirms the literature relating to availability of products to consumers (seeFigure 3).

Figure 3: Lack of Availability

%0

%38

%31 %31

%0

%0

%5

%10

%15

%20

%25

%30

%35

%40

There are enough green cleaning products available to make it convenient to purchase them.


10




Consumer Distrust

Respondents don’t search very deep for information about the products they purchase.

Figure 4 (d) shows that only 34% agree that they consider the history of the companywhen purchasing cleaning products. The distrust of companies selling “green” products

continues with regards to the way these products are advertised. 15% of the respondents

agree that the companies’ claims about their products are accurate (see Figure 4 (a)).50% of the respondents agree that when companies communicate about the environment,

it makes them want to buy products from them as shown in Figure 4 (b). Figure 4 (c)

shows an overwhelming 88% of the respondents agree that companies must prove their products are “green”.

Figure 4: Consumer Distrust

%0

%8

%23

%0

%15

%42

%65

%35

%46

%27

%12

%27%31

%19

%0

%31

%8%4

%0

%8

%0

%10

%20

%30

%40

%50

%60

%70

(a) I believe

companies are

accurately

communicating

information about their

impact on the

environment

(b) Companies that

communicate about

the environment make

me want to buy

products from them

(c) Companies mus t

not only say a product

is good for the

environment, they

need to prove it

(d) I consider a

company's history of

environmental

commitment when

choosing whether or

not to purchase a

green cleaningproduct

Strongly Agree Agree Uns ure Dis agree Strongly Dis agree

Advertising

The data collected seems to indicate that consumers feel the need for more information

about the “green” cleaning products that are available. 30% of the respondents agree that

there is sufficient information to make a decision on purchasing “green” cleaning products, but only 15 % agree that there is sufficient advertising for “green” cleaning

products (see Figure 5).

11




Figure 5: Advertising

%0 %0

%15

%31

%23

%27

%58

%35

%4

%8

%0

%10

%20

%30

%40

%50

%60

%70

There is sufficient advertising of available products for

me to make a decision to purchase them.

There is suff icient information avaliable to make

informaed decisions about buying green products.


Data Results

Commonalities exist among the respondents who do not purchase “green” cleaning

products or use natural cleaning products. These respondents agreed that a company

cannot just say a product is not only good for the environment, they must also prove it.

They also commonly disagree that companies are accurately communicating about their impact on the environment.

Demographic Correlations

The data shows an association between age and “green” purchasing habits. The studyshowed that only 40% of respondents in the 18-29 age range use natural cleaning

products. 100% of the respondents in this age group purchase a combination of “green”

and non-”green” cleaning products. The 30-39 age range had one of the highest

percentages of respondents who use natural cleaning products at 71%. 14% of respondents in this age group only use “green” commercial products. Figure 6 shows the

percentage of respondents in each age group who use “green” and non-”green”

commercial products and natural cleaning products. It is important to note that 100% of respondents in the 60 and above age group use only natural cleaning products and no

commercial products, however only one respondent fell into this category and should not

be taken as a true representation of the age group.

12




Figure 6: “Green” buying patterns by Age

Green Patterns by Age

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

-18 29 -30 39 -40 59 +60

Age Range

P e r c e n t a g e o f R e s p o n d

non green commercial

green commerical

natural products

DiscussionThe study showed that although respondents felt they were living a “green” lifestyle, this

assumption does not necessarily translate into their purchasing habits of “green” cleaning products. A high percentage (88%) of respondents purchase commercial cleaning

products and a very small percentage (7%) use “green” or natural cleaning products

exclusively.

According to the data, the greatest factors affecting the use of “green” products are cost

and distrust with the companies. The economic downturn the United States has recently

seen most likely plays a large role in the tendencies of respondents to be more moneyconscious. However, the concept that cost is a major factor in determining whether

consumers purchase “green” products was also seen in the study conducted by Boniniand Oppenheim (2008), which was conducted before the economic downturn. It may be

an inherent and lasting notion of our society to “count our pennies.”

Distrust in companies is a big factor in determining whether consumers purchase or use“green” cleaning products. A company cannot only say that their products are good for

the environment, they must also show evidence that their products are environmentally-

friendly and that they are taking steps as a company to help reduce waste. Mostrespondents also expressed that they were unsure of what some of the “green” terms on

product labels meant. This confusion about what a product label is conveying will alsoadd to the distrust in companies.

A question was asked about where consumers shop for cleaning products to use as an

indicator of whether price is actually a factor or not. For instance, if a respondent says

price is a factor, yet the majority purchases their products at the most expensive location,it follows that price really is not a factor for them. The study showed that the majority of

the respondents purchase their products from discount stores or grocery stores. Only four

13




respondents purchased their products from other locations, two from member only clubs,

one from a co-op and one from a distributor. The location that respondents purchased

their cleaning products did not appear to have an impact on their purchasing decisions.

The respondents were asked to select products they purchase to clean their home. The

responses were categorized as “green,” or “not green”. The categorization was based onif the product contributed to landfills (e.g. Swiffer and Clorox Disinfecting Wipes) and

the ingredients included in the products (e.g. Windex Multi-Surface Cleaner with Vinegar

and lemons). These were used as indicators of whether or not people were really “green”who said they were “green.” If everyone in general said they buy green products, but the

purchasing habits show otherwise - that they are buying the least environmentally-

friendly products, are they really living “green”? The survey showed that although all of

the participants said they lived green, only 7% of respondents either exclusively purchase“green” products or only use natural cleaning products. . There is room for the

respondents to become “more green” with the use of more natural cleaning products or

the new “green” product lines that the leading cleaning brands are producing (i.e. Clorox

GreenWorks).

An association was discovered in the data between age and green buying habits. It wasshown that the millennial generation is less likely to use natural cleaning products while

the older generations are more likely to use natural cleaning products. There did not

appear to be any other correlations among the millennial age group that would explain

why they are the least likely to use natural cleaning products. The possible reasons for this trend could range from money issues with getting started in the “real world” to a lack

of knowledge on the types of natural cleaning products that can be used in the house.

This may be information that is learned through experience.

So do American consumers who desire to practice a “green” lifestyle actually choose

environmentally cleaning products? The results of this survey seem to indicate that theydo not. The barriers preventing “green” consumers from making “green” purchases when

it comes to cleaning products include cost, distrust of manufacturers’ claims, and lack of

advertising.

If these consumers want to live a “green” life style but still chose cleaning products that

were not environmentally friendly, did factors such as cost or greenwashing affect their

decision? While it appears that the participants of this study do factor cost into their “green” purchasing decisions, the respondents do not seem to trust the marketing claims

of the manufacturers of greenwashing claims.

ConclusionsEven though a larger sample would need to be examined to see if these results can begeneralized for the larger population, the survey did surface some interesting

implications.

14




Implications

This study seems to implicate that cost is a consideration when choosing to purchase

environmentally-friendly cleaning products. Additionally, consumers feel that advertisingis lacking, and there is less than optimal availability of green cleaning products.

Even if there was better advertising and availability, consumers seem to distrust thecompanies that sell green cleaning products. It is unclear what companies marketing

green products need to do in order to bridge that trust gap.

Significance

The significance of the findings from this study is that the five barriers identified by

Bonini and Oppenheim (2008) support the hypothesis that consumers who claim to live agreen lifestyle do not necessarily purchase environmentally friendly cleaning products.

Although consumers are integrating green cleaning products into their housekeeping

regimen, they have not adopted these products exclusively. The issue of cost is a

significant factor, along with the issues surrounding trust, education, advertising and

availability.

Another significant finding relates to the age groups and their purchasing habits. The 18-

29 year old age group purchase more non-green commercial products than the older age

groups. This same age group also has a lower rate of natural cleaning product use. 100%of the 60+ age group use natural cleaning products, but the group consisted of only one

respondent. While these findings are interesting, our sample size was not large enough to

draw conclusions from them for all adults in the Tallahassee area.

Recommendations

It is apparent that consumers are not living as “green” as they say they are. More

information is needed to understand what can be done to change this trend.

The study showed that cost was a factor in considering green cleaning product purchases,

but more information could be gathered on if cost is the main switching point when the purchases decisions are made.

The survey showed that the age group less likely to use natural cleaning products is themillennial generation. Additional research is needed into why this age group is not living

“green.” It could be hypothesized that this age group does not purchase as many green

cleaning products because of their budgets, as they tend to have less money than older age groups.

Another consideration is the lack of knowledge of natural cleaning products. Researchshould be conducted to investigate whether consumers in the 18 – 29 year old age group

are aware of how to clean with natural products such as lemons, baking soda and vinegar.

Another recommendation would to be to widen the geographic area of the survey.Attitudes towards the availability of green cleaning products as well as the amount of

advertising done by the companies selling these products may be different in a more

15




urban area of the country. It may be possible to get more participants in the 60+ age

group if the geographic are was widened. This was the lowest represented population in

our study and did not provide enough information about the age group to make legitimateclaims about their purchasing habits. Additionally, if using a larger population, stricter

criteria could be used to select the consumers who believe they are living a “green”

lifestyle, such as through a prescreening survey or interview. This study showed thatalthough the participants believed they were living a “green” lifestyle that was not

necessarily true.

Finally, there should be more research applied to choosing the list of products from

which respondents select. The list in this survey was classified as green based on

assumptions made by the research team. More care should be taken in classifying

products as "green", and this should be based on scientific research. Additionally, ameasurement of a “green lifestyle” would be helpful to draw more meaningful

conclusions about the real reasons people decide to purchase green cleaning products.

16




References

Bonini, S. & Oppenheim, J. (2008). Cultivating the green consumer. Stanford Social

Innovation Review, 56-61. Retrieved January 27, 2009, from

http://www.ssireview.org/articles/entry/cultivating_the_green_consumer/.

Cone releases 2008 green gap survey. (2008, April 15). Retrieved February 13, 2009,from ConeInc: http://www.coneinc.com/content1136

Do “green” conscious consumers practice what they preach? New consumer purchasedata reveals that many do not! (2008, September 29). Business Wire. Retrieved

January 31, 2009, from the InfoTrac OneFile database.

O'Brien, K. A. (1992). Green marketing: Can it be harmful to your health? Industry

Week, 241(8), 56-59. Retrieved January 26, 2009, from the FSU Libraries

Business database.

Pickett-Baker, J. & Ozaki, R. (2008, May). Pro-environmental products: Marketing

influence on consumer purchase decision. Journal of Consumer Marketing, 25(5),

281-293. Retrieved January 31, 2009, from the InfoTrac OneFile database.

Sustainable living. (2009, February 17). Retrieved February 22, 2009, from Wikipedia

Web site: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sustainable_living

17

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sustainable_living

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sustainable_living




Appendix I: Participant InvitationThis is the text of the email that was sent to solicit participation in the survey.

Subject: Do you live "green?" Want to help my research team?

Body:

Hi Everyone - I'm taking a research methods class and my team is working on a project to

determine whether residents of the City of Tallahassee that consider themselves "green"

are indeed making green cleaning product purchases. I would really appreciate your help by participating in a survey. The survey will be available next week, online (via

Zoomerang) and will take no more than 10 minutes to complete. Your participation will

be anonymous, although we will ask a little demographic information of you.

If you are willing to participate, please reply to this message so that I can send you thesurvey link next week.

Thanks so much,

Survey Administrator

18




Appendix II: Survey Instrument

Table 2: Survey Instrument - Age Group

1. Which age group best describes you?

Age Range Number Of Respondents

Percentage of Respondents

18-29 5 19%

30-39 7 27%

40-59 13 50%

60 or older 1 4%

Total 26 100%

Table 3: Survey Instrument - Ethnicity

2. Which of the following describes your ethnicity?

Ethnicity Number Of Respondents


African-American 4 15%Asian 3 12%

Caucasian 18 69%

Hispanic 0 0%

Native American 0 0%

Other 1 4%

Total 26 100%

Table 4: Survey Instrument - Gender

3. Which best describes your gender?

Gender Number Of Respondents


Male 8 31%

Female 18 69%Total 26 100%

Table 5: Survey Instrument - Education

4. What is the highest level of education that you have received?

Highest Level of Education Number Of Respondents


Some High School 0 0%

High School 2 8%

Some College 3 12%

Associate’s Degree 2 8%

Bachelor’s Degree 10 38%

Master’s Degree 8 31%

Doctorate Degree 1 4%Total 26 100%

19




Table 6: Survey Instrument - Where Cleaning Supplies are Purchased

5. Where do you most often purchase cleaning supplies?

Where Cleaning Supplies are Purchased Number Of Respondents


Supermarket (Publix, Winn Dixie, etc.) 7 27%

Discount Stores (Wal-Mart, Target, etc.) 15 58%Pharmacy (Walgreen’s, CVS, etc.) 0 0%

Member-only Stores (Sam’s, Costco, etc.) 2 8%

Other, please specifyCo-op 1 4%

Distributor 1 4%

Total 26 100%

Table 7: Survey Instrument - Cleaning Supplies Used

6. Which of the following cleaning products have you purchased since making an effort toclean with environmentally friendly products? Please choose all applicable answers.

Product Used Number Of Respondents


Clorox Bleach 14 54%Clorox Disinfecting Wipes 11 42%

Clorox Green Works 4 15%

Comet 7 27%

Mr. Clean 0 0%

Palmolive 6 23%

Resolve 2 8%

Scotch-Brite Quick Floor Sweeper 0 0%

Simple Green All Purpose Cleaner 2 8%

Simplicity 0 0%

Soft Scrub 5 19%

Scrubbing Bubbles 5 19%

Swiffer 11 42%

Windex Multi-Surface Cleaner with Vinegar 9 35%Windex Nature’s Source 2 8%

I don’t purchase commercial cleaning products. 3 12%

Other, please specify409 1 4%

Seventh Generation 2 8%

Shaklee 1 4%

Table 8: Survey Instrument - Natural Methods Used

7. Which of the following natural cleaning products have you used in your home in the lastsix months? Please choose all applicable answers.

Natural Cleaning Product Used Number Of Respondents


Lemons 5 20%Vinegar 11 44%

Baking Soda 5 20%

I don’t use any natural cleaning products. 9 36%

Other, please specifySteam 1 4%

One respondent did not answer this question.

20




Table 9: Survey Instrument - Understanding of Terms

8. Please choose the best answer for your understanding of environmental terms anddefinitions.

StronglyAgree

Agree Unsure DisagreeStronglyDisagree

I am comfortable with the

environmental terms used on“green” product labels to identifywhether the product is “green”.

14% 1038% 1350% 28% 00%

Table 10: Survey Instrument - Understanding of Specific Terms

9. For each of the following terms, choose the response that best describes your understanding of the term.

CredibleTerm

NeedMore

Information

MisleadingTerm

I amUnfamiliar With this

Term

Non-toxic 14

54%

11

42%

0

0%

1

4%Natural cleaner 6

23%15

58%3

12%2

8%

Eco-friendly 831%

1246%

519%

14%

Phosphate-Free 935%

935%

00%

831%

Table 11: Survey Instrument - Attitudes towards “Green” Marketing

10. When I see a product advertised as green or environmentally friendly, I have one of thefollowing reactions (please choose the most appropriate answer from the following list):

Number Of

Respondents

Percentage of

RespondentsI view the product in a positive way 10 38%

I view the product in a slightly positive way 13 50%

It has no effect on how I view the product 2 8%

I view the product in a negative way 1 4%

I don’t know what it means 0 0%

Total 26 100%

21




Table 12: Survey Instrument - Shopping Behaviors

11. Please choose the answer that most closely describes your shopping experiences.

StronglyAgree

Agree Unsure DisagreeStronglyDisagree

I consider the environmental

impacts when I purchaseproducts.

1

4%

17

65%

2

8%

5

19%

1

4%

When shopping for cleaningproducts, I only buy productsthat say they are green on thelabel.

00%

14%

519%

1765%

312%

I only use commercial cleaningproducts as a last resortmethod.

14%

312%

415%

1558%

312%

I am overwhelmed by theamount of environmentalmessages I hear and see.

14%

1038%

519%

1038%

00%

I consider the cost whenchoosing whether to purchasegreen cleaning products.

5

19%

14

54%

0

0%

7

27%

0

0%

There are enough greencleaning products available tomake it convenient to purchasethem.

00%

1038%

831%

831%

00%

Companies that communicateabout the environment makeme want to buy products fromthem.

28%

1142%

727%

519%

14%

Companies must not only saya product is good for theenvironment, they need toprove it.

623%

1765%

312%

00%

00%

I consider a company’s historyof environmental commitmentwhen choosing whether topurchase green cleaningproducts.

00%

935%

727%

831%

28%

I believe companies areaccurately communicatinginformation about their impacton the environment.

00%

415%

1246%

831%

28%

There is sufficient informationavailable to make informeddecisions about buying greenproducts.

00%

831%

727%

935%

28%

There is sufficient advertisingof available green products for me to make a decision topurchase them.

00%

415%

623%

1558%

14%

22

Green Washing Project

Documents

Transcript of Green Washing Project