Green Behavior is Growing Among Consumers and CEOs

Despite the long economic downturn that has left many workers underemployed or unemployed, The Green Revolution, the 2009 survey by Grail Research, found that 85% of U.S consumers buy green products. The increasing consumer demand for greener products now influences the plans of businesses worldwide. In fact, the UN Global Compact-Accenture CEO Study 2010, a survey of 766 leading CEOs around the globe, confirms that sustainability is considered a key driver for future growth.

The demand for green is both broad and deep, and it spans numerous consumer segments. For example, it influences supply chains, business-to-business transactions, government spending decisions and employment practices. Indeed, many niche markets, which are often exempt from certain trends, have also found a rise in consumer demand for greener options.  “Towards a Green Economy: Pathways to Sustainable Development and Poverty Eradication,”  the latest report of the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP), details the growing financial response of private investors to the consumer demand for green agriculture and tourism.  Just two examples show why investors are interested:  1) In 2008, global sales of Fairtrade products exceeded $3.5 billion in U.S. dollars, and 2) surveys indicate that more than a third of all travelers would pay more to participate in sustainable ecotourism, when the relevant expenses reduce waste and enhance biodiversity and ecosystems.

The private sector has long been leading the transition from an industrial-based economy to a cleaner, greener economy. The Green Transition Scoreboard® (GTS) serves as a time-based, global research organization that tracks non-government investments and commitments for all facets of the green market. The latest update from GTS reports a total of $2,005,048,785,088 in such investments between 2007 and the end of 2010. 

 

Key Point – The importance of moving toward a green economy has been substantiated. The recent Deloitte Study, which surveyed 48 large corporations headquartered in the U.S., verifies that corporate American now considers sustainability more than just a public relations campaign.

Have you included sustainability as one of your business strategies?

Have you aligned your business policies and priorities with your sustainability goals? 

*Learn more about environmental concerns in Maria Pinochet’s CSRwire article, “Consumer Demand: The Driver of the Green Transition.”

Comments

[Maria Pinochet]

Sally,

Thanks for your list of ways that “virtual-work hours“ are a GREEN business practice. Also, I appreciate the many advantages that e-teams offer business owners who seek to develop sustainable business practices that enhance both people and profits! Be sure to check out Sally’s blog, Team Powered Success.

[Sally Vickers]

I'm so very pleased to hear that consumers are buying more "green". It's not always easy because of price, or product.

We should also be trying to work from home more often and create virtual business teams.

The research has been done and it has been proven that in the business world the increased use of Virtual Teams could:

■Lower the number of cars on the road
■Lower the effects on the environment
■Lower the demands on fuel which might lower the cost of gasoline
■Lower business overhead which could save jobs and businesses
■Lower the stress of commuting which could lower health care cost.
■Lower the time away from the kids which could lower the drop out rates
See the rest of the article at
www.eteamjournal.wordpress.com