study by creative research platformVisual GPS found that 69 percent of respondents said they were doing everything possible to minimize their carbon footprint, up from 63 percent just a year earlier. Half of all global consumers surveyed say they’ve become even more eco-aware, according to PwC’s June 2021 Global Consumer Insights Pulse Survey. In 2019, just 35 percent of respondents said they chose sustainable products to help protect the environment and only 37 percent said they looked for products with environmentally friendly packaging. But PwC’s recent survey results show responses to similarly worded questions increasing 10 to 20 percentage points higher, post-pandemic. The drive toward eco-friendly products reflects the public’s concern about the environment. According to a global analysis conducted by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), internet searches for sustainable goods around the world have increased by 71 percent in just five years. Since the EIU began its analysis in 2016, the global volume of Twitter conversations about nature-loss has increased by 65 percent, and over 159 million people have participated in biodiversity-related campaigns. This rise in public discourse and activism has likely helped shift consumers toward green consumerism. Demand for sustainable goods is increasing exponentially. According to research from 2013 to 2018, conducted by NYU Stern’s Center for Sustainable Business, the number of products marketed as sustainable grew 5.6 times faster than products that were not. And when it comes to price, potential environmental impact matters more. According to a study by GreenPrint, an environmental technology company, 78 percent of people are more likely to purchase a product that is clearly labeled as environmentally friendly. Nearly two-thirds (64 percent) of Americans are willing to pay more for sustainable products. Eco-friendly promotional products can help distributors and their clients enhance brand reputation and educate the public— all while improving the bottom line. Denise Taschereau, co-founder and CEO of Vancouver, British Columbia-based distributor Fairware Promotional Products, says distributors can start introducing eco-friendly products in two ways. “The first is to start asking your clients True ‘Green’ The definition of eco-friendly is “not environmentally harmful,” according to Merriam-Webster. For a product to be eco-friendly it must be safe for the environment, from production to packaging. But for a product to be properly labeled as eco-friendly, the Federal Trade Commission’s Green Guides say the packaging must explain why the product is environmentally responsible. To avoid making misleading marketing claims, or “greenwashing,” understanding how a product is eco-friendly is important. See below for commonly used “green” claims. Biodegradable - A marketer making an unqualified degradable claim should have competent and reliable scientific evidence that the entire item will completely break down and return to nature (i.e., decompose into elements found in nature) within a reasonably short period of time after customary disposal. Compostable - A marketer claiming that an item is compostable should have competent and reliable scientific evidence that all the materials in the item will break down into, or otherwise become part of, usable compost, like mulch, in a safe and timely manner in an appropriate composting facility, or in a home compost pile or device. Non-toxic - A non-toxic claim likely conveys that a product, package or service is non-toxic both for humans and the environment, generally. Therefore, marketers making non-toxic claims should have competent and reliable scientific evidence that the product, package or service is non-toxic for humans and for the environment, or should clearly and prominently qualify their claims. Recyclable - A product or package should not be marketed as recyclable unless it can be collected, separated or otherwise recovered from the waste stream through an established recycling program for reuse or use in manufacturing or assembling another item. Recycled content - A product contains recycled content if it is composed of materials that have been recovered or otherwise diverted from the waste stream, either during the manufacturing process (pre-consumer) or after consumer use (post-consumer). Renewable materials - Marketers may minimize the risk of unintended implied claims by identifying the material used and explaining why the material is renewable. Marketers should also qualify any ‘‘made with renewable materials’’ claim unless the product or package is made entirely with renewable materials. Sustainable - The practice of protecting natural resources while maintaining a prospering economy for future generations. The three pillars are: people, planet and profit. Source – FTC Green Guides | JANUARY 2022 | 47 GROW
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