Customers Increasingly Embrace Eco-Friendly Products: New Research Insights

Sustainable products, once viewed skeptically for performance, are now broadly seen as reliable alternatives to traditional options. This shift eases longstanding industry concerns about consumer acceptance, according to new research from marketing scholars at the Kellogg School of Management.

Debunking the “Sustainability Liability” Myth

For years, the prevailing assumption—dubbed the “sustainability liability”—held that greener products like natural mouthwash or eco-friendly tires underperformed compared to conventional versions. Companies hesitated to develop sustainable options fearing consumers would regard them as inferior.

However, a comprehensive study led by Professor Alexander Chernev and colleagues challenges this perception. Surveying over 3,300 participants across various hypothetical products, from hand sanitizers to car tires, researchers found no meaningful difference in consumer ratings between eco-friendly and traditional products’ performance. The only exception was drain cleaners, where sustainability may slightly affect perceptions.

Chernev emphasizes:

“The sustainability-liability intuition might not be as strong as one might have thought.”

Why Have Perceptions Improved?

Possible reasons behind this changing mindset include noticeable improvements in eco-friendly product quality over time and increased consumer familiarity leading to pleasantly surprising experiences. The researchers also analyzed large-scale text datasets from Google News and Wikipedia, revealing that sustainability-related terms like “ecological” and “recycled” have grown more closely associated with positive descriptors such as “efficient” and “reliable.”

Testing Extreme Conditions: The Pandemic Case Study

The COVID-19 crisis heightened consumer focus on product effectiveness, especially for disinfectants and cleaning agents. Even under these heightened scrutiny conditions, online experiments with 3,292 participants during 2020 found virtually no difference in perceived effectiveness between sustainable and standard products like hand sanitizers and dish soaps.

Business Implications: Confidence to Invest in Green Innovations

This evidence signifies a major opportunity for companies. Concerns that consumers doubt the efficacy of eco-friendly products may no longer be justified, removing a psychological barrier to adopting or expanding sustainable product lines.

Chernev notes:

“If sustainability is no longer seen as a liability, companies previously hesitant to invest in green technology may now feel more confident.”

Ultimately, customers’ growing acceptance of eco-friendly products can drive corporate shifts essential to combat climate change.

About the Research

• Title: “Is Sustainability a Liability? Green Marketing and Consumer Beliefs About Eco-Friendly Products”
• Authors: Alexander Chernev, Sean Blair, Ulf Böckenholt, Himanshu Mishra
• Published in: Journal of Public Policy & Marketing, 2024

About the Lead Researchers

• Alexander Chernev: Professor of Marketing, Kellogg School of Management
• Ulf Böckenholt: John D. Gray Professor of Marketing, Kellogg School of Management

For sustainable brands and innovators, this changing consumer outlook highlights an encouraging trend: eco-friendly does not mean less effective, and the future of green products looks increasingly bright.

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.