As far as marketing of green products go, most homeowners aren’t buying it. That’s the result of a poll of 1,200 U.S. homeowners by
Ipsos Reid, a market research company. Seventy percent of those
polled agreed that when companies call a home building product “green,” it’s usually just a marketing tactic. More than a third said
they didn’t clearly understand the benefits of buying green,
suggesting that more education may be needed in terms of how choosing
eco-friendly alternatives can be a benefit, such as with cost-savings
or environmental impacts. Those who considered themselves more
environmentally savvy were more open to green product claims than was
the general population and more willing to pay more for green
building products.
The poll also found that men were more skeptical about green claims than women: 75 percent of men thought a product labeled “green” was likely a marketing tactic compared to 65 percent of women. Men, (49 percent) compared to women (39 percent) were less willing to pay extra for products making eco-friendly claims despite saying they knew green products were better for the environment and provide long-term payback.
The poll was conducted on behalf of Icynene, makers of environmentally friendly insulation products.