ISM AND ISEG MBA - Développement durable

Part III: The consumer
1. The actors within sustainable development
a. The consumers
Consumers in general, but specifically the public at large, are becoming increasingly concerned
by the environment and its protection. They have many means at their disposal with which to
influence the thinking of companies and authorities: as consumers, by their purchasing habits; as
shareholders, by selecting environmentally active companies in which to invest; as citizens, by
their political vote; taking an active role in NGO's, etc.
In addition to the ordinary consumer, there is a Green Consumer. The website of Business and
Sustainable Development 17 has studied his behavior and his expectations regarding the
environmental market and the Green Companies. Research has shown that green consumers are
sincere in their intentions, with a growing commitment to greener lifestyles. They almost always
judge their environmental practices as inadequate, and they do not expect companies to be perfect
in order to be considered “Green”. Rather, they look for companies that are taking substantive
steps and have made a commitment to improve.
However, they also tend to overstate their Green Behavior, including the number of green
products they actually use. They also want the protection of the environment to be easy, and not
to entail major sacrifices. They tend to distrust companies' environmental claims, unless they
have been independently verified. They have a lack of knowledge about environmental issues,
and tend not to trust themselves to evaluate scientific information about environmental impacts.
Nevertheless, at the same time they are willing to learn, and this means that consumer education
is one of the most effective strategies that entrepreneurs can employ.
17 Business and sustainable development: A global guide, from www.bsdglobal.com/
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