GreenBiz recently reported on findings from the 2015 Eco Pulse study showing that a growing number of Americans factor a company's sustainability and social responsibility into their purchasing decisions. When asked if they ever chose one product over another or stopped purchasing a product based on the environmental record of its manufacturer, 33 percent of respondents said yes, and 75 percent could name a specific brand--a big jump over previous years.

From GreenBiz
One of the ah-has from the soon-to-be-released 2015 Eco Pulse study is that, indeed, a company's sustainability or social responsibility commitment is a reason to love the brand.

In fact, when we asked Americans, "Can you name a brand you love?" and then asked, "Why?" environmental and CSR reasons were almost as prevalent as core functionality or performance features.

By the way, the brands listed as loved brands weren't niche-y green brands; they were mainstream.

When we asked, "Can you name a brand you hate?" we also got a list of mainstream brands (including some from the "love" list), and again, environmental, social responsibility and product content reasons were just as prevalent as product performance/customer service issues.

The phrases "unethical/dishonest/immoral" and "corporate philosophy/political leanings" popped up just as frequently in the open-ended responses as traditional reasons for being mad at a brand/product, such as "bad experience."

Perhaps most interesting of all: we saw an enormous jump in the percentage of Americans who say they're putting their money where their hearts are on this issue.

When we asked, "Have you ever chosen one product over another or stopped purchasing a product based on the environmental record of its manufacturer?" 33 percent said yes--and 75 percent actually could name a specific brand. Just look at the graph to see what a huge shift this is on both fronts:

So, if there's still any question at your organization as to whether sustainability is important--and whether you should put money behind telling the story--feel free to share these data points.

To read the complete GreenBiz story, click here.

Additional Resources
• What Is the Oldest Piece of AV Gear You Own That Still Works? from HomeTheaterReview.com.
• Five AV Categories That Are Much Cheaper (and Better) Than They Were Five Years Ago at HomeTheaterReview.com.

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