NGO Endorsements Carry Weight With Consumers

Three in four consumers say their purchasing and, to lesser but growing degree, investment decisions are influenced by non-government environmental groups or NGOs, according to research from Peppercom and Media-Screen.

In addition, the survey of 300 plus consumers and 100 plus business executives found that a company’s green efforts are more credible when endorsed by third-party environmental groups whose efforts have an impact on their local community. But most companies interested in going green have not figured out which environmental groups they should partner with, nor how to work with them on policy development and communication.

Most consumers say NGO Web sites, along with friends and family and Web search engines, are the most trustworthy sources of information on companies’ environmental practices. They look for information on everything from manufacturing practices and positions on environmental policies to support for green causes and interaction with consumers in encouraging eco-friendly practices. While Greenpeace, the Sierra Club and the World Wildlife Fund were cited as top sources, dozens of regional and local organizations were also mentioned.

Although a number of companies have forged partnerships with NGOs (Coca-Cola and the World Wildlife Fund have tackled global water quality and Clorox and the Sierra Club recently worked together on the rollout of a green product line, to name just two), the study revealed that a significant percentage do not, citing lack of trust or common goals, and uncertainty on which NGOs to seek out.

EL covered the impetus behind many of these partnerships earlier this week.