Green Features More Important Than Green Brand

January 8, 2009

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Green features – that is, that a product is recyclable and energy efficient – are more important than the brand name being considered, according to a study from the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA).

In other words, if a brand’s product has good green credentials, it could beat out a well-known company, PC World writes.

Consumers feel more comfortable knowing which specific attributes make a product green, to companies should give them an explanation, said Steve Koenig, CEA’s director of analysis.

Some 40 percent of consumers are confused by green claims made by consumer electronics companies, and 65 percent think some of them overstate their green credentials to sell more products, the study found.

A company’s reputation and philosophy regarding the environment impacts consumers’ decision to try its products for the first time, said 45 percent of female and 34 percent of male respondents.

A similar percentage said those factors also affect their willingness to continue using a company’s products.

Price, other features, and warranty are still significantly more important than environmentally friendly attributes, however. Though a little more than half of consumers surveyed are willing to pay a premium for green products, about 22 percent said they would pay up to 15 percent more.

And 33 percent of consumers in a December CEA study said they planned on some sort of green electronics purchase within the next two years.

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