• by Suzanne Shelton , Op-Ed Contributor, September 16, 2015

When it comes to selling green or energy-efficient products, we marketers tend to throw around a lot of jargon. But do consumers really speak our language? A recent research report from Shelton Group shows that some green buzzwords are big consumer favorites, while others are total turnoffs. 

The report, "The Buzz on Buzzwords," polled 2,000 American consumers to test their perceptions of 11 common green buzzwords used to market products and services: 

• Green
• Eco-friendly
• Sustainable
• Recyclable
• Recycled
• Renewable
• Compostable
• Biodegradable 
• Low carbon footprint
• Net zero
• Low-VOC 

The survey found that green has made the shift from fringe idea to mainstream value—62% of respondents thought of the word “green” as positive, and 62% said that climate change is happening and is caused by humans. So there’s no need to shy away from talking directly about a product’s environmental benefits. But the results also showed that the buzzwords mostly fell into two groups: 1) words that carried a strong positive connotation but also generated unrealistic expectations; and 2) words that were so poorly understood that they left consumers with a bad taste in their mouths.

The survey showed that consumers attach a whole range of expectations to buzzwords they like (so, the ones that fall in the first group) when those words are used to describe a product’s environmental benefits—some consumers even assume the product has a net positive effect on the environment when only a specific attribute is being described. For example, consumers confused “recycled” and “recyclable,” and 61% expected products made of recycled content to also be recyclable. They also had high expectations for recycled and recyclable products; a strong majority expected these products to be good for the environment in general, which isn’t necessarily true.

“Compostable” is another good example; it means “able to be composted.” How much room for miscommunication could there possibly be? A lot, it turns out. First, there’s the implication that a product can be composted at home, when often the term refers to products that must be taken to commercial composting facilities. And many cities don’t have those. But the survey showed that consumers love the term, and most thought it meant “safe for home composting.”

Now, let’s talk about that second group of words – the scientific jargon that, even when it sounds catchy, leaves consumers cold. For example, most consumers are concerned about indoor air quality, but the term “low-VOC” doesn’t translate for them at all – it was the worst-performing word in our study in terms of consumer understanding and desirability. The same was true for “net zero”; 43% said this word was undesirable, and we think it’s because consumers really don’t have a clear picture of what makes a net-zero home worth buying. (But that doesn’t mean consumers don’t want what builders are selling, as you’ll see in the report.)

For those of us who work in the sustainability space, it’s easy to forget that consumers don’t necessarily speak our language. But there’s a great opportunity here for marketers who use both kinds of terms: the opportunity for thorough, transparent communication about a product’s environmental benefits that makes consumers feel more knowledgeable and therefore more likely to trust your brand; and the opportunity to connect impenetrable jargon with things that consumers really do care about, like health and saving money on their energy bills.