Report: Focus on cost saving key to overcoming consumer climate apathy

Money saving benefits of green products must be emphasised to attract mainstream

Businesses selling low carbon products and services need to rethink their marketing and design strategies if they are to appeal to mainstream consumers who are increasingly "tired and bored" with climate change messages.

That is the stark conclusion of a new report from the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) think tank, which warns that while the bulk of consumers accept that climate change poses a serious threat, many are currently unwilling to embrace lower carbon lifestyles and are resentful of green marketing campaigns that serve to make them feel guilty about their carbon footprint.

The report, which was based on workshops and interviews with consumers, concluded that businesses selling low carbon products should promote them by focusing on the associated cost benefits they can deliver through reduced energy use.

"There are clear implications for businesses in these findings," report author Simon Retallack told BusinessGreen.com. "Far too often the environmental message did not motivate mainstream consumers in any way. Unsurprisingly, given the recession, the main interest in green products was around their ability to save money."

He argued that firms looking to promote green products should highlight their cost saving benefits, while also outlining how they can help give consumers increased independence from "unpopular" energy companies.

The report also urged businesses to improve the design of green products, warning that the perception that they look different to mainstream products only serves to alienate consumers.

"The environmentally-inclined consumer will always be a niche market and we need to involve the mainstream majority if we want to deliver emission cuts," explained Retallack. "They want products to be aesthetically attractive, to look normal – rightly or wrongly many consumers perceive green products as ugly, describing green cars in particular as "smug" or trainers on wheels".

The report recommended that the government intervene to strengthen the financial case for green products by making good on its pledge to increase green taxes and provide more generous incentives for low carbon products and services such as solar panels and train travel.