Seeing green by going green: Alaska businesses prosper by being environmentally responsible.

• Author: Bohi, Heidi
• Position: ENVIRONMENT - Company overview

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Talk is cheap. But eco-friendly products are not. Whether it's Mrs. Meyers Clean Day laundry detergent or Tide, biodegradable garbage bags instead of regular or organic dairy products, on average, American consumers can expect to pay $8.30 more on $100 for a product that is "green" and leaves a reduced footprint. Green products are derived from renewable, farm-grown sources rather than petroleum. For Alaskans, by the time the additional 15 percent shipping cost is added on, that bumps the bill to $12.45 for every $100.

WILLING TO PAY MORE

While most Americans say the flailing economy is their No. 1 concern and consumers heed the warnings to curb their spending, at the same time, more than 70 percent of natural product consumers say they remain willing to pay at least 20 percent more for environmentally friendly products. In other words, even during a recession, shoppers will stay loyal to a brand as long as it supports a good cause.

Consumers want to support businesses and retail stores that have green sustainable practices, according to a study conducted by Mambo Sprouts Marketing, a natural and organic direct marketing company that tracked the buying habits of 1,000 natural product consumers and forecasted 2008 purchases. This is especially true in Alaska and the Pacific Northwest where 39 percent say they are committed to taking part in a wide variety of activities to help the environment.

Do a little Internet-based research and it's not hard to see that this is a growing area of interest to the retail industry as attitudes and behaviors shift toward a new way of thinking that emphasizes living a green and sustainable lifestyle. A survey of 22,000 consumers conducted by Information Resources Inc., a leading resource for comprehensive research on consumer-purchase attitudes and behavior, determined that DO percent of shoppers looked for at least one sustainability factor when making a purchase decision. The factors considered included eco-friendly products, eco-friendly packaging, organic and fair labor practices with employees and suppliers. In the 25th anniversary of the Cone Cause Evolution Survey, published September 2008, 79 percent of respondents indicated they would switch brands if one were associated with a relevant cause. An ABC News/Stanford University poll reported that 94 percent of respondents said they are willing to personally change some of the things they do in order to improve the environment.

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