Win-Lose For Green Issues In Recession

Nielsen Wire — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 15:36:14 +0000

The recession has prompted consumers around the world to re-evaluate what’s important to them. Issues such as the economy, job security and other topics related to finances are top of mind for most people and, as a result, issues such as the environment have fallen. In fact, the latest edition of Nielsen’s Global Online Survey covering more than 50 countries found that global warming dropped to 14^th place on the list of “biggest and second biggest concerns.” That said, the issue remains important to citizens in many countries. More than half of respondents felt that their lives would be negatively impacted by climate change over the next decade.

But the environment is emerging as an inadvertent winner in the global economic downturn. Lower new car sales translate into fewer cars on the road and lower exhaust emissions. “Cash for Clunkers” programs like those started in some European countries and more recently in the U.S. mean that older, less fuel efficient vehicles are being replaced with new models. Families have rediscovered cooking at home, and are re-purposing leftovers as opposed to just tossing them out (in flusher times, households tended to waste up to 30 percent of food).

Despite having more pressing issues on their mind, consumers want retailers and manufacturers to step up and do what they can to make products more environmentally friendly, whether that means increased energy efficiency, ethically raised crops and animals or less packaging.

Global Shoppers Consider Ethics And Environment

Nielsen Wire — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 20:47:46 +0000

Compared to the rest of the globe, Latin America’s consumers place the highest importance on how environment standards and labor conditions impact products they purchase. In North America, consumers come in just below the global average when considering the importance of those factors according to a Nielsen report on Corporate Ethics And Fair Trading, done in partnership with Oxford University’s Environmental Change Institute. In addition to Latin and North America, the report details consumer perceptions in the Asia/Pacific region, Europe, and emerging markets. “A global social conscience is one of the biggest trends to have emerged in the last decade. Global consumers are collectively speaking out and demanding that corporations make a positive contribution to society,” notes Amilcar Perez, Vice President, Marketing, Latin America, The Nielsen Company.

Read Corporate Ethics And Fair Trading: A Nielsen Global Consumer Report.

Nielsen Wire » global environmental concerns

Win-Lose For Green Issues In Recession

Global Shoppers Consider Ethics And Environment