Consumer Decision Making : Consumer Behavior

Creation of products that reduce energy usage, support sustainable forestry practice, promote cleaner water and less air pollution

As more and more people are aware of environmental problems which our human being are facing, most people nowadays do shopping with some degree of morality in mind, taking social or environmental issues into consideration as they select from a range of product or services. Therefore, the concept of

The Clorox company faces a difficult road as they enter the "green product" segment. Competitors are aggressively entering the market segment by developing new product lines and purchasing brands. In order to enter the market, Clorox must overcome the negative associations their products have within the green community. The company needs to incorporate similar practices of newly acquired Burt's Bees. Clorox must adhere to the NPA standards of natural products as whole, follow Burt's Bees pledge of social responsibility and a marketing campaign to change their brand image from questionable to environmentally friendly.

The manageability of Verizon lessens there carbon impression through environmentally friendly power vitality speculations, building enhancements and armada operations. The majority of their vitality productivity techniques bolster their definitive objective of slicing Verizon's carbon force down the middle by 2020. There carbon force metric alludes to the measure of carbon emanations created per terabyte of information coursing through our systems. Since 2009, Verizon has enhanced our carbon power by 48 percent. They additionally put resources into renewable vitality. Driving their propelled systems requires a great deal of vitality. That is the reason they are centered on putting resources into renewable vitality and founding manageable land rehearses.

Consumerism often causes people to identify with a product or brand on a personal level. Certain products have come to represent different levels of society, with swankier products like muscle cars indicating high class and such products as generic “store brand” shampoo indicating low class. People feel that they have relationships with their favorite brands and products and define themselves by what they buy and own. The mass production of cheap products uses precious fossil fuels at an alarming rate. This has an obvious negative impact on the environment.

Cornelissen, G., Pandelaere, M., Luk, W., & DeWitte, S., (2008, February). Positive Cueing: Promoting Sustainable Consumer Behavior by Cueing Common Environmental Behaviors as Environmental. International Journal of Re

Marks and Spencer is one of the UK 's leading retailer business organisations. They have 21 million people visiting their stores each week. They sell clothing, home products, as well as food, responsibly sourced from around 2,000 suppliers globally. Their clothing and home ware sales account for 49% of their business while their food sales account for 51%. Now more than ever, they are also known for their green credentials as a result of their five-year eco plan, Plan A, which will see them, amongst other things, become carbon neutral and send no waste to landfill by 2012.

Additionally, on a socio-cultural level, many consumers feel that restaurants partaking in green initiatives and operations are doing their part to not only help sustain the earth but also to conserving natural resources (Hu, Parsa & Self, 2010). “Going green” is not simply a trend in the food service industry but around the world and in all forms of business. Corporate companies consider “going green” as a sensible business strategy in building recognition for corporate social responsibility among consumers concerned with environmental conservation efforts. Lastly, technological initiatives such as Energy Star appliances (dishwashers, refrigerators, ice machines, etc.) and faucets that use less water must also be analyzed in their ecological conservation capability and weighed against their financial costs (University of Notre Dame, 2014).

Environmental lobbyists and governments are pressuring the fast-food firms to become more ‘green’ (Greenpeace, 2012). Rainforests are being destroyed to increase the area of land for beef production to meet the demand for beef-burgers (Kline, 2007). Recycling is a prominent global issue and in response, McDonald 's adopted recyclable packaging. Increased environmental awareness among consumers provides firms with a significant opportunity to position themselves as ‘green’ to garner customer loyalty (National Pollution Prevention Centre for Higher Education, 1995).

On your weekly trip to the supermarket it’s easy to find a number of products, from coffee to dishwashing soap, that flaunt their green attributes” (American Psychological Association, 2010). With such rumors of greenwashing, consumers are more confused than ever. However, some consumers know the tricks and are coming to find that there are companies whose marketing practices are legit, not exaggerated or deceiving. APA also found that, “people are willing to spend more of their hard-earned green on green products, according to a 2008 survey of 9,000 adults performed by the global business firm Boston Consulting Group” (American Psychological Association, 2010). Consumers who are willing to pay more for a product or service are assuming that they are purchasing a healthier, safer, and better quality product or service for the environment.

Over the last two decades, the world's consumption habits have changed fundamentally with regard to environmental and health issues and people are increasingly willing to act on those concerns (Martinez-Carrasco et al., 2004; Smith and Marsden, 2004). Numerous studies indicate that there is a remarkable growth in consumers who are concerned with the environmental impact of their purchase decisions (paragraph problem (Tallontire, Rentsendorj & Blowfield 2001).

Last decade, no one knows or cares about the word “sustainability”; however, the world we know today is very different. Today, we encounter the term “sustainability” or “green”, “environmentally friendly”, and “organic”” everywhere. It is easy to find those terms in products or services claiming to be green in retail stores, or TV or online advertisement. As more people are becoming environmentally conscious, businesses and organizations are looking for ways to drive more profits while reducing the ecological footprints and minimizing their negative impacts on the environment. Furthermore, today, more products are claiming to be green more than ever; however, the definition of green is still unclear. For this paper, I will introduce a term, “greenwash”, how it relates to green and sustainability, and how it relates to all of us. In addition, I will focus on Vitacost Extra Virgin Certified Organic Coconut Oil, a product that claims to be green and sustainable and determines if it is really green.

What seems to be the trend in today’s market and what some are already practicing is the “green” life style. There is a need to create a product that can adhere to this lifestyle in a way that helps the planet, can be done safely and in style, with effortless routine, while clearly stating that you are contributing to the “green” way of life. Environmentalism, which is associated with the color green, is a broad philosophy and social movement which is centered on a concern for the conservation and improvement of the environment (Wikipedia, 2009). This movement is

Sunchips provides not only a “healthier” chip but also uses renewable energy and a biodegradable bag and encourages consumers to join their eco movement. Other companies, such as Pepsi and Volkswagen, are joining in too. The “Refresh Everything” project launched by the major soda chain is attempting to make its product more environmentally friendly, and Volkswagen is taking even bigger strides with its movement, “The Fun Theory,” which encourages customers to be green while making the process fun (Park 1). Other major corporations jumping on the green bandwagon include Hewlett Packard, which boasts its recycling efforts and energy efficiency, and Ben and Jerry’s with its effort to “Lick Global Warming” and employ other eco-conscious practices (Rottkamp 1). While these strategies have shed light on being friendly to our planet, the fact remains that the large portion of our population simply is not embracing it.

This report shows data on consumer behaviour as primary research and secondary data from literature about sustainability, sustainable business practices and consumer behaviour towards sustainable produced goods. The terms sustainability and sustainable business practices will be examined in more detail. Data gathered from primary research