What does it take to keep up with the Green Joneses, and how many people are interested in doing so? With the economic crisis being what it is, it’s been tough to gauge lately. Signs that the recession is abating, though, may signal a re-invigorated market in general- where will green products be in this kind of environment?

A recent Corporate Sustainability and Responsibility (CSR) International survey of U.S. consumers found that “77% of respondents indicat[ed] the “energy footprint” of a product, such as a low energy-certified appliance or locally grown food, affects their purchasing decisions as consumers.”
So 3 out of 4 say that the energy footprint of a product affects their decisions. That’s a huge percentage- think about the percentage of people who voted Barack Obama into office- just over 50%- and that was touted by the media as a mandate for change and celebrated by the people of the U.S. as a reason for hope.

I wonder why there is not more hoopla around a 77% awareness/influence of energy footprints on consumer behavior. Perhaps the “Prius Effect” has something to do with it. When asked about their top motivating factors behind buying their Prius, “makes a statement about me” was number one. “Higher fuel economy” and “Lower emissions” were third and fifth, respectively. The study’s authors concluded that status plays a big role in green purchases. And apparently cost has little to do with their purchases: “76% saying they would pay more for an environmentally friendly product.”  

People profess to wanting to live and support green products and initiatives. How much of that desire is to contribute to a more sustainable life on and with Earth? How much of it is just to be in step with the green “Joneses?” An interesting question and theory.

PSFK reports on a recent survey from London revealing that most “people are more motivated to make eco-friendly purchases based on perceptions about status - i.e. installing these solar panels are sure to make my neighbors envious - than they are by other factors, like cost-savings or more surprisingly perhaps, actually benefitting the environment.”

So, is this a reason to shake our heads and bemoan the ethics of humans and our wanton destruction of the Earth in the name of keeping up with the Joneses? Not really. People do what other people do- that’s nothing new and it’s no secret. Like many other people, I read Malcolm Gladwell’s Tipping Point and it made me think about how consumer behavior works. It’s a trickle until it hits that point and then it’s a flood. 77% of people saying an energy footprint effects their decisions is a flood. 76% saying they would pay more for an environmentally friendly product is a flood.

In general, this means that people are ready for green products- seeing green as a mainstream and desirable attribute is a good thing for business, a good thing for the environment and a good thing for anyone making an environmentally conscious product. Does it mean that there is the potential to lose some of the activist heart and environmental love that lives in many green products? Yes. That’s what mass production and consumerism does. But if the standards for products shift toward green, that means a whole generation of people will grow up with that as an expectation and only make it better- stronger- and greener.