Abstract
This report forms part of a series jointly published by The Hartman Groups and
Packaged Facts on Consumers and Sustainability. This four-part series covers
in separate reports the markets for foods and beverages, personal care
products, household cleaners, and OTC medications and supplements.
Sustainability means different things to different people. Asked to identify
what the term means to them, consumers most frequently respond "the ability to
last over time" (76%) and "the ability to support oneself." Sustainability is
also strongly associated with environmental concerns, whereby consumers are
being challenged to develop and express an "eco-consciousness" in their daily
habits and purchases. Thus, nearly half of consumers associate sustainability
with conserving natural resources and with recycling.
But using "eco-conscious" or "green" as synonymous with sustainability unduly
limits the term. "Green" falls short as a description for the variety of
social, economic and environmental issues that real-world individuals believe
are important to sustaining themselves, their communities, and society at
large. Adoption of sustainable products mirrors the health and wellness
progression that The Hartman Group has previously reported, in which consumers
first consider the impacts of things in the body, followed by on the body, and
finally around the body.
As consumers become more educated about the environmental, social, and
economic implications of their shopping habits, their health and wellness
motivations dovetail with societal concerns, such that four zones of
sustainability become relevant to purchasing choices:
- The Personal Benefit Zone
- The Environmental Zone
- The Social Zone
- The Economic Zone
Within the personal care market - which includes cleansers, soap, moisturizer,
deodorant, shampoo, toothpaste, cosmetics and fragrances - personal health and
wellness needs are the most important factor in what motivates a consumer to
purchase a sustainable product. However, attributes such as "chemical free"
and "not tested on animals" are also frequent considerations for conventional
and alternative personal care products alike. Consumers often review the
ingredients contained in a personal care product looking for recognizable,
pronounceable ingredients as an indication of "naturalness." Although the term
"natural" has lost significance in other categories, it remains a meaningful
term to reference a variety of sustainable personal care product attributes
that also signify quality to consumers.
Series Methodology
This report series was jointly produced by The Hartman Group and Packaged
Facts, and is based on The Hartman Group' s 2009 multi-category study,
Sustainability: The Rise of Consumer Responsibility. In addition, Packaged
Facts provides an update of consumer attitudes and spending based on a
proprietary online poll conducted in February 2009 and on Experian Simmons
surveys fielded from November 2008 to June 2009.
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