Economical Climate Has Caused Consumers To Shy Away From Eco Friendly Products As More Expensive

When did it happen? When did eco friendly products fall from grace? Sure, the concept of global warming, or the more currently acceptable term, climate change, might be a little pie-in-the-sky for some, but the pollution of the Planet is certainly real. So, what is it? Personally, I blame both the current economy and the misconception that environmentally friendly has become synonymous with more expensive.

In this day and age, NOTHING seems to come before protecting our financial stability, which is entirely understandable. No matter what we hear about the economy getting better, the bottom line is that it isn’t – unemployment and foreclosures at all time highs, spending way down. Yes, we’re all about finding ways to cut back on our spending. And, as it happens with every trend, the new en vogue industry is anything and everything involved in how to save money and reduce debt (have you seen all the “get out of debt now” companies?!) I recently watched a series of segments on the “Today” show that featured money saving tips from “the self proclaimed cheapest family in America.” These people have capitalized on the state of our economy and their “cheapness,” and have parlayed it into their own little money-making empire. So, if the perception is that eco friendly means more expensive, the environment is definitely going to take a back seat to learning the art of being cheap. In fact, it will probably be thrown out of the car altogether.

Another indicator is that green is no longer a media darling. For a long time, anyone who was a green expert was getting all kinds of play on the morning news shows, books deals, you name it. Now, if I search “green” on “Good Morning America,” I can find only one segment, and it’s on green tea. Yikes!

This issue was recently confirmed for me by a recent article in Adweek, endearingly called ” Consumers Don’t Warm to Eco-Friendly Products.” It pointed to the “Green Gauge Global Report” by GfK Roper Consulting, in which 71 percent of the respondents said that it was important for companies to take “environmentally responsible actions.” Yet, in that same report, 66 percent indicated that “The environmentally friendly alternatives for many of the products I use are too expensive.” And, 52 percent agreed with the statement, “First comes economic security, then we can worry about the environmental problems.” Sigh…

In my mind, this perception simply isn’t true. The eco conscious business model follows the same pattern as the mainstream one. There are companies producing sustainable products that range from the very inexpensive to luxury and everything in between. You can be good to your wallet and good to the Planet. Every day, we show our readers all kinds of great eco friendly clothes, from basic to fashion forward, which could compete pricewise with Walmart, the Gap or Neiman Marcus. And just like the mainstream world, there are deals, discounts and sales to be had.