How often have you chosen “eco-friendly” products like soaps or bags over their commercial counterparts only to realise that these products are far more expensive than the latter? We might desperately want to go “green” in everything we do but often, while the heart is willing, the pocket isn’t.
Take Rashmi Sablania for instance. In her pursuit of eco-friendliness, she ended up with more jute bags and totes than leather ones or those made with water-resistant fabrics. While her choices were “green”, their prices made her see red. “I find these bags usable and cool. I’m really trying to be eco-friendly, but sometimes the bags don’t match the cost of the materials they’re made of,” she says.
Not just this high-flying manager, customers across the globe smell a rat when they pick up anything “eco-friendly” yet expensive. According to a survey of Australian shoppers by Macquarie University, the “green” intentions of consumers largely fade by the time they reach the cash register. The study, commissioned as part of the Panasonic Chair in Environmental Sustain-ability Initiative, found that while 75 per cent of consumers considered environmental features before buying, only 20 per cent ended up buying products with eco credentials.
Though the study looked at the purchasing behaviours on big-ticket products such as televisions, air-conditioners and washing machines, a reflection of the thought process is felt even while buying smaller items. For Savitha Rao, Founder, Clean Planet, this often happens.
Selling eco-friendly totes targeted at the growing tribe of “green” consumers like Sablania, her objective is to pass value on to the customer, encouraging him or her to buy more and eventually publicise the cause. “The primary basis to evaluate the value of a product is ‘monetary’. Then comes the usability of the product at that price. So between two products, “A” and “B”, if “A” is more eco-friendly than “B” but has unclear value/benefits to the consumer, the deal becomes significantly more expensive. This varies across products depending on their nature, frequency of use, convenience and relative difference in price,” she says.
“I thought of buying a set of bamboo mats for my dining table considering they are eco-friendly and aesthetic. But, there were problems. It was difficult to find a set in the market. And when I did, I found it was priced higher than my old plastic mats, which were easy to clean and lasted a long time,” says Naina Bajaj, a homemaker.
Bajaj is trying hard to embrace a green lifestyle; she has organic supplies on her grocery list and is methodical in bringing down her energy bills. She wants the suppliers and the government to be transparent and launch initiatives that encourage consumers. “This especially applies to commodities such as electronic appliances and cars. There must be some concession passed on to us if we are making green choices,” she reasons.
One way to encourage people to go “green” would be to include explaining the price differential at retail points through store associates, highlighting the benefits provided by eco-friendly products vis-à-vis conventional, non eco-friendly alternatives. “This way the conviction and ideology that inspired the seller to start the business comes through to the customer, making him a partner in the whole idea. This is what our Clean Planet totes do — using a reusable bag consistently helps a person keep a minimum of 300 plastic bags from choking the planet,” concludes Rao.