Customers Increasingly Embrace Eco-Friendly Products: New Research Insights

Changing Perceptions of Sustainability and Product Performance

For years, sustainable products—from mouthwash to tires—were often viewed as less effective than their traditional counterparts, a bias known as the "sustainability liability." This perception made some companies hesitant to invest in eco-friendly alternatives, fearing performance sacrifices.

However, recent research led by marketing experts Alexander Chernev, Sean Blair, Ulf Böckenholt, and Himanshu Mishra challenges this assumption. Their findings reveal that consumers tend to rate the effectiveness of eco-friendly products nearly identical to standard ones across a range of categories, including household cleaners, hand sanitizers, and car tires.

Key Findings from the Study

• Negligible Sustainability-Liability Effect: In a survey of over 3,000 participants evaluating 10 product types, performance ratings for eco-friendly and traditional products were almost the same, except for a modest exception in drain cleaner.

• Strength vs. Gentleness Matters: Potential minor differences tended to appear only in product categories where strength was highly valued (e.g., stain removers), while eco-friendly alternatives were often preferred when gentleness mattered (e.g., face creams).

• Pandemic Confirmation: Even during the COVID-19 pandemic—a time when product efficacy was paramount—the perceived performance gap between eco-friendly and standard health-related products like hand sanitizer and dish soap remained insignificant.

Evolving Consumer Attitudes Over Time

Further analysis of large text corpora, including Google News (through 2013) and Wikipedia (2021), demonstrated an increasing association between sustainability-related terms (e.g., “ecological,” “recycled”) and positive performance descriptors (e.g., “efficient,” “reliable”). This linguistic shift aligns with survey data indicating that consumer perceptions of eco-friendly products have become more favorable over time.

Industry Implications: A Path Forward for Sustainable Innovation

According to Professor Chernev, the fading sustainability liability means companies should feel more confident investing in green technologies without fearing consumer rejection due to assumed inferior performance. This shift in consumer mindset plays a crucial role in encouraging broader adoption of eco-friendly products, which can positively influence corporate sustainability efforts and help address climate change.

About the Research

Published in the Journal of Public Policy & Marketing (2024), the study titled “Is Sustainability a Liability? Green Marketing and Consumer Beliefs About Eco-Friendly Products” provides empirical evidence supporting the rise of eco-friendly alternatives as reliable and competitive choices.

References

Chernev, A., Blair, S., Böckenholt, U., & Mishra, H. (2024). Is Sustainability a Liability? Green Marketing and Consumer Beliefs About Eco-Friendly Products. Journal of Public Policy & Marketing.

For more insights on organic and sustainable products, subscribe to our newsletter and stay informed with the latest in eco-friendly innovation and consumer trends.

Design Delight Studio curates high-impact, authoritative insights into sustainable and organic product trends, helping conscious consumers and innovative brands stay ahead in a fast-evolving green economy.