Green Issues Important in Consumer Purchasing

Research issued by the CEA (Consumer Electronic Association) on the opening day of its Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas suggests that green issues will have a significant impact on future consumer trends – specifically, that the buying public will take in account how geared towards environmental concerns a particular product is.

In so doing, they will assess it both in terms of how it might affect the environment, as well as how it was manufactured, again, with regards to the environment.

The intimation, then, is that if a product is judged acceptably green, a higher price for it is also acceptable.

"Green is becoming a purchasing factor", the CEA’s Steve Koening stated.

The Green Factor

At the same time, said the research, the public were already showing signs of wanting the green factor to be justified, with a desire to learn more about what environmentally friendly processes went on during the manufacturing stage as well as what would happen in terms of recycling at the end of a product’s life.

Of those that took part in the CEA’s survey, over 38 per cent admitted that the labelling of a particular product as ‘green’ was confusing to them, while over half were keen to find out what factors would lead to a manufacturer claiming its product as ‘green’.

Future Consumer Trends

The study carried out by the CEA attempted to observe future consumer purchasing trends up until 2013.

The want for more greenness in products was widely expressed, so too, a longing for less in the way of wires and for the internet to be a part of many more products than is at the moment.

W233 Renew

Environmental News recently reported on one of the products that will feature at the Consumer Electronics Show, Motorola’s W233 Renew handset. The W233 Renew’s green credentials include the use of recycled bottles in its plastic casing, together with recycled paper and organic inks in its packaging.

A further feature is the inclusion of a stamped addressed envelope which will allow the W233 to, when finished with, be sent back to Motorola for recycling purposes.

Eco Friendly Marketing

A trend at the show so far, certainly one observed within the electronics industry and among those showcasing the latest in television technology, has been to highlight eco-friendly attributes over things like screen size.

The Consumer Electronics Show is the largest of its kind in the world, with around 2700 companies exhibiting, 300 of which, according to a recent press release on the CEA’s website, are new to the show.