Corporate social and environmental responsibility has been a hot topic lately. More and more consumers indicate knowing that a company is mindful of its impact on the environment and society, makes them more likely to buy its products, services or stocks.
A recent GMI poll shows that 36% of all consumers worldwide were boycotting products. Among the keenest boycotters were China with over 50% of the respondents, with Denmark and France placing second and third. When asked what factor was the most important in determining if a business is socially responsible, Americans placed the highest value on corporate community involvement (sponsorship, grants, and employee volunteer programs). On the other hand, all of the other countries surveyed (India, Canada, Australia, Germany, China and Japan) selected environmentally preferable practices (recycling, using biodegradable products) as the top factor.
The poll surprisingly found that only 42% of all Americans are willing to spend more for products branded as organic, environmentally friendly or fair-branded compared to 91% of the Chinese consumers and 71% of the Indians.
The study definitely shows that the US has a long way to go in raising awareness of its social and environmental impact if it is really serious about sustainability.
The question then is: Who should be responsible for sustaining the dialogue and creating the right incentives for the business, government and NGO communities to make the inconvenient decisions and take the difficult journey of sustainability?
I believe that the ultimate responsibility lies with us, the consumers. Not Wal-Mart, not the Bush administration nor the Gates foundation. We the people decide where we shop, we eat, where we invest and who we elect. We have the power to make each and every one these decisions a socially and environmentally responsible one.
Now the tricky part is: How do we raise people’s awareness of these responsibilities???
What do you think?
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
Mario:
And of course Europe has had this conversation high on its radar for a number of years. I think part of the equation is educating consumers about consumerism — I think this is a more pervasive phenomenon here. Part of it is providing easy to take steps for people who want to help. Chris Baskind at LighterFootstep.com, an eZine for Sustainable Living, provides many of those tips every day [disclosure: I helped Chris brainstorm the format and support his work].
I can not agree with you more Valeria, Initiatives such as lighterfootstep.com play a great role in raising awareness and helping people start an earth-friendly life style.
And we thank you for your contribution in such work.
PS: Despite all the attention, hype and the scientific community outcry to global warming issue, this week; the Bush administration had the guts to put another roadblock to the Kyoto treaty, calling for a mandatory reduction of “greenhouse” gases by 2050…
Oops, I did not realize I was talking with you, Jalal. This is such a polarizing topic, yet it could be a point of collaboration. It’s sad when special interests take the place of common good.
Jalal,
What is the access to organic and fair trade in Europe and Asia? In the U.S., no matter where we live, with rare exception, we have access to both kinds of green products. So if 42% of Americans actually purchase fair trade or organic, that is a huge contribution to the cause. Keep in mind, access in the U.S. to either product line commercially was practically nonexistent a decade ago. And our government does little to encourage either.