According to a survey of more than 10,000 consumers around the world on behalf of Lexmark, 64% of consumers incorrectly cited the disposal of ink cartridges as the largest cause of pollution from printing. (It's actually wasted paper.)
"The best piece of paper from an environmental standpoint is the one that's not printed," John Gagel, manager of sustainability practices, environmental health and safety for Lexmark, tells Marketing Daily. "Part of the process is educating the consumer on how you go about printing in a sustainable matter. It's a process of education. You have to hammer away with your messaging."
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Three-quarters of consumers feel guilty about printing unnecessary pages, and 85% of them would choose the most environmentally conscious printing option if they were give a simple "one-touch" or "one-click" solution to help them find it. "Our focus is to try to create a device that allows [consumers] to print in a sustainable manner," Gagel says.
In the 21 countries covered in the survey, women were generally more concerned about the environment than men. Seventy-one percent of women said they felt guilty disposing of an electronic device rather than repairing it, compared with 63% of men.
Still, there is a large education gap when it comes to people's printing habits. Only 39% of survey respondents said manufacturers do enough when it comes to recycling equipment. The advantage, however, is clear, with 84% of consumers saying they are more likely to buy products from a manufacturer with a proven concern for recycling. Women also said they were more likely to buy from a technology manufacturer that recycles.
"The best way to get that information is on your Web site," Gagel says. If you have that information there, people will find it. And it has to be easily used."
Women do tend to be more actively aware and seek out information about a brand's environmental steps (so good idea to include such on sites), but men aren't far behind . Consider the consuming behavior of women a leading indicator. If your brand doesn't step up to the plate in serving their environmental/sustainable expectations now, it'll be missing the boat with all your consumers in no time.
I totally agree with Andrea in that brands must begin now in their commitment to sustainability. With so much readily attainable information, consumers today are much more aware of the impact of the products that they purchase have on the environment.
I'm personally pretty proud of the program that Goodwill Industries International has launched in conjunction with Dell, the Reconnect program that allows participants to donate their old computers to Goodwill, and they are then recylced. You can find more information about the program here: http://www.goodwill.org/page/guest/about/newsroom/newsreleases/archivednewsreleases/nr-20090608-dellreconnect.
Programs such as these are definitely steps in the right direction, and I hope that more and more brands will continue efforts to increase sustainability and protect our environment.
Aaron... Nice job. This was a well-written and thoughtful piece.