dissertation on consumer buying behaviour in uk supermarkets3 (1)

Masters of Marketing and Communications Dissertation

MIDDLESEX UNIVERSITY BUSINESS SCHOOLACADEMIC YEAR: 2006 – 2007

VIRGINIE BERNADM00094510

GREEN WORLD OR GREEN DOLLARS: A CUSTOMER BEHAVIOUR APPROACH OF GREEN

CONSUMERISM

Supervisor: Mr John Eganword count: 15 661

November 2007

Project submitted in partial fulfilment of the Degree of Masters of Marketing and Communications

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The report examines the profitability of the green and ethical food market by investigating

customer behaviour. This study focuses on the food market as they are the major retailers in

the UK and more likely to establish a standard business model. It shows that customers are

willing to express their concern for social and environmental issues through their shopping

habits. Firstly, it explores food retailers’ opportunity in adopting green marketing strategy.

Secondly, it provides a picture on how customers perceive food retailer strategy, ethics and

communication. To finish, this project assesses the characteristics of an effective green

communication for food retailers.

In order to achieve these objectives, a quantitative market research was carried out. A

questionnaire was administered to 58 people aged from 24 to 35 years old. The survey was

conducted among random shoppers in an attempt to understand barriers and levers of green

consumerism and communication. It was designed to figure out whether or not a difference

between customer attitude and customer behaviour exists. In addition, the questionnaire

involved an analysis of the efficiency of communication channels and tools to provide

information about food products.

The study reveals that the green and ethical market is gaining momentum. It shows a major

difference of concern for environmental issues among genders that partly reflects level of

involvement in green consumerism. It confirms that customer behaviour is driven by self-

interest rather than ethics. The findings also show that many barriers to green consumerism

remain in terms of environmental image and product. The research confirmed that more focus

is needed to educate consumers. It sets out consumer needs for transparent and objective

information on food retailers’ environmental strategy and communication.

The results can also apply to external bodies. In terms of implications for governmental

bodies, the research shows that citizens are highly judgmental and expect governmental

actions to be taken. Manufacturers too need to be aware of customer want for further

information on green products. Initiatives coming from manufacturers to help customers make

an informed choice are welcome. To finish, suppliers need to be aware that they are fully part

of the logistic chain of food retailers, therefore confronted with the same threats and

opportunities in the market.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

First of all, I would like to give a warm thank you to my supervisor, John Egan, for his

continuous encouragement and advice. I would particularly like to express my gratitude to

Olivier Prevot who was of precious help through his advice, suggestions and/or criticisms. I

am deeply thankful for his support. I am also very grateful of all my student colleagues,

especially Basher Jaber and Karima Ibironke Onitri who I wish all the best in starting their

careers. I also wish to thank all those who contributed in any manner to the accomplishment

of my dissertation and their willingness to encourage me.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

List of Tables

Introduction and objectives…………………...………………………………….........

1. Literature Review

1.1. The green and ethical market………………………………………………...

1.1.1. Market definition………………………...……………………………...

1.1.2. Market size……………………………………………………………...

1.1.3. Market share………………………………..…………………………...

1.2. The actors of the green and ethical market………………………………….

1.2.1. The green shopper…………….………………………………………...

1.2.2. Retailers………………………………………………………………...

1.3. The barriers to green communication…………………………………..........

1.3.1. Customer’s scepticism and confusion ………………………………….

1.3.2. Greenwash………………………………………………........................

2. Market Research

2.1. Methodology…………..………………………...……………………………..

2.1.1. Research design...………………………...……………………………..

2.1.2. Sampling…………..…...………………...……………………………..

2.1.3. Questionnaire design……...……………...……………………………..

2.1.4. Data collection/process…...……………...……………………………..

2.2. Limitations…………………..………………...……………………………….

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3. Findings

3.1. Results……………………...……………...

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3.1.1. First research question……...……………...

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3.1.2. Second research question……...……………...

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3.1.3. Third research question……...……………...

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3.1.4. Fourth research question……...……………...

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3.2. Discussion……………………………………...

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3.2.1. First

objective…………………………………………………………...

3.2.2. Second

objective………………………………………………………..

3. Future

4.1. Implications and recommendations………...

………………………………..

4.1.1. Implications for

retailers………………………………………………..

4.1.2. Implications for

suppliers/manufacturers……………………………….

4.1.3. Implication for governmental

bodies…………………………………...

4.2. Further research……………………………………...…..

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4.2.1. Other

segments/markets………………………………………………...

4.2.2. Environmental

labels……………………………………………………

4.2.3. Shape of the

discourse……………………………………………...

Conclusion……………………………………...

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Appendices: table of contents…………………...………………...…………………...

Appendice A: quotations…………………………………...……………………........

Appendice B: notes…………………………………...…………………………........

Appendice C: references………………………..…………………………………........

Appendice D: bibliography……………………...………………………………........

Appendice E: external links……………………..………………………………........

Appendice F : questionnaire………………….....………………………………........

LIST OF TABLES

Table 1

Table 2

Table 3

Table 4

Table 5

Table 6

Table 7

Table 8

Table 9

Table 10

Table 11

Table 12

Table 13

Table 14

Table 15

Table 16

UK Grocery Market Share – 12 weeks ending 26 March, 2006……..………

Gender and age of the respondents…………………………...………………

Concern for environmental issues and climate change………...…………..…

Involvement in green products purchase by gender…………………….....…

Engagement in helping preserve the environment……………………...….…

Relation between environmental concern and purchasing of green

products………………………………………………………………….……

Proportion of people who buy green products for environmental reasons…

Willingness to pay more for environmentally friendly

products…………..…………………………………………………………...

The reasons why respondents buy green food products………………...……

Most important aspects of food products………………………………..……

What the respondents to whom ethics matters look at first when purchasing

a food product………………………………………………………………..

The type of green products purchased by respondents…………………...…..

Women are more likely than men to purchase cosmetics that have

environmental benefits………………………………………………...……...

Bodies responsible for causing environmental damage………………………

Willingness to stop buying from companies who might damage the

environment……………………………………………………………...……

Willingness to stop stopped buying from companies who might act

unethically………………………………………………………………..…...

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Table 17

Table 18

Table 19

Table 20

Table 21

Table 22

Table 23

Table 24

Table 25

Table 26

Table 27

Table 28

Table 29

Table 30

Table 31

Table 32

Bodies responsible for tackling environmental damage……………………...

Necessity of laws and regulations on green products………………………...

Scepticism towards environmental claims of companies………………….....

Willingness to punish companies that exaggerate their green claims………...

Reasons why companies promote their green credentials…………………….

Ethic rates of the most common service providers…………………………...

Barriers to green product consumption……………………………………….

How respondents would like to receive information on food products………

Lack of knowledge for finding independent information on products……..

Scepticism towards advertising claims………………………………..……...

Level of interest in information displayed on product packaging……..……...

Level of effectiveness of information on packaging in making purchase

decisions……………………………………………………………….……...

Type of information needed about green food products and involvement in

green products purchasing…………………………………………………….

Referees for recommendations on food products………………………….....

The most important aspect of a successful environmental campaign………...

Level of trust of the most common bodies……………………………………

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ii

INTRODUCTION

There is an unspoken law in businesses that ‘you should always be faster than regulation’ in

order to protect a business from attacks, environmental change and competition. This has

again been proved with the recent obesity epidemic. In response to growing concerns on the

part of the UK population and the UK government, companies have anticipated the need for

regulations and become pro-active. All food retailers have initiated their own labelling system

regarding fat/salt/sugar content (e.g. Tesco road light systems with red/green/yellow to

indicate level of toxicity of such products), educating the consumer who is now able to make

an informed choice. The same is now happening with in the green and ethical market1.

Recent years have seen a huge rise in concern related to environmental issues, particularly

with global warming2. Businesses are witnessing the green wave and setting reaction plans.

Customers are jumping on the opportunity to shop Fairtrade3 and Organic4 products or to use

their own bags when purchasing goods. This behaviour comes along with growing ethical and

environmental views and concerns. In such a context, green consumerism has emerged as a

solution. Ethical and green issues are the next biggest challenge that food retailers must

conquer.

Marketing strategists are therefore making a shift towards sustainability by becoming green

and ethical. They are driven by the desire to remain competitive and to maintain profitability.

This paper offers a picture of the relation between green consumerism and business ethics in

environmental context. It first investigates why companies should become green themselves

and the reasons why customers choose to become green.

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Communicating green issues is also challenging. In the mind of the customer companies are

seeking profitability rather than sustainability. Food retailers have to challenge themselves

and genuinely communicate their green credentials or they will fail. More than just becoming

green itself, they have to consider barriers such as scepticism5. The second aim of this paper is

to find ways for food retailers to improve their environmental communication and build up a

better environmental image.

This paper also has implications for governments aiming to design laws for green products

and/or set-up a communication plan. National governments and ministers are seen by citizens

as at fault, and need to justify their actions in front of the electorate. There is a strong level of

expectation from consumers to see the government tackling environmental damages. The

findings might help governmental and independent bodies to communicate environmental

issues effectively.

OBJECTIVES AND RESEARCH QUESTIONS

Objective 1: Identifying the reasons behind consumers’ choice for green food

consumption

R1: What are customers’ attitudes and behaviours towards environmental issues and green

product habits?

R2: What are the reasons why food retailers should adopt a green marketing strategy?

Objective 2: Identifying the barriers and incentives to food retailers communicating

green food to consumers

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R3: How customers currently perceive food retailers strategy, ethics and communication in

the current environmental and ethical context?

R4: How can food retailers increase consumer trust of their environmental image and green

products?

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1. LITERATURE REVIEW

1.1. THE GREEN AND ETHICAL MARKET

1.1.1. MARKET DEFINITION

Green Marketing

A whole range of terms describe the relationship between the marketing activity of a company

and its natural environment, such as environmental marketing, ecological marketing, societal

marketing, sustainable marketing (Fuller, 1999), greener marketing and green marketing

(Peattie, 1992). Even if the definitions slightly vary from one concept to another, they all

represent a form of marketing that seeks progress towards sustainability.

According to Peattie, sustainability involves only using resources at a rate which allows them

to be replenished to ensure their long-term survival and not exceeding the environment’s

ability to absorb pollution (Peattie, 1992, p.76). As defined by Fuller (1999, p.4), the main

element of sustainable marketing is the planning of the marketing mix in a manner that is

compatible with ecosystems.

Green marketing, as defined by the Chartered Institute of Marketing, a definition largely

recognised by marketers, is the management process responsible for identifying, anticipating

and satisfying the requirements of customers and society, in a profitable and sustainable way

(The Chartered Institute of Marketing, 2007). There are several levels at which a firm can act

to be sustainable. First, by modifying the attributes of a product by either: repairing,

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reconditioning, reusing and/or remanufacturing it when entering the decline stage. At another

level, a firm can adopt green marketing by improving and greening systems, processes and/or

policies in an attempt to reduce the negative effects of its activity on the environment.

Business Ethics

Business ethics is a vital element of a business and is placed at the centre of the purpose of an

organisation. It determines how an organisation sets itself out and behaves morally both

internally and externally. It takes the view that businesses exist within society, and that

society allows them to exist; therefore they should respond to society’s needs and demands

(Peattie, 2002, p.62). It stresses the moral and ethical responsibilities of businesses to build a

better society and their obligation to give back to the community.

Business ethics is met through corporate social responsibility (CSR) schemes. Both concepts

are closely related as while business ethics stresses the moral and theoretical, corporate social

responsibility puts the words into practice through initiatives such as fundraising and/or

sponsorship of charitable events. CSR is the demonstration of a business commitment to

social, human and environmental issues. It is born from the expectation of stakeholders to see

organizations demonstrate congruence with some social and environmental values and

participate towards the overall wellbeing of the society. Business ethics and CSR are now a

must for any business wanting to survive in the mainstream. This has encouraged new

business models, especially the social enterprise model that seeks social and environmental

issues as the main purpose of a company (examples of companies are Cafedirect, The Big

Issue, Divine chocolate etc…).

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1.1.2. MARKET SIZE

In 2005, money spent in ethical consumerism in the UK was worth £29.3 billion more than

the retail tobacco and alcohol (The Co-operative Bank, 2007). This figure includes financial

products and investments, community projects as well as providing greener food and products

for the home (Mintel, 2007, ethical and green issues). Considering ethical food only, the

market has increased by 13% since 2004 to reach £5,406 million (Mintel, 2007, ethical and

green issues).

More money was spent in the UK in 2005 on ethical consumerism than on retail tobacco and

alcohol, according to the Co-operative Bank’s annual Ethical Consumerism Report. The

report has tracked British consumers’ ethical spending in the UK annually since 1999.

A huge rise in terms of value of the retail concerning the organic food market has also been

witnessed. The market has increased by 50% between 2002 and 2006 to be worth £1,295

million (Mintel, 2007, ethical and green issues). The same increase has happened with

Fairtrade products with the value of the retail market reaching £230 million in 2006 (Mintel,

2007, ethical and green issues). Products with Fairtrade certification reached a total of 1,500

products in March 2006 compared to 850 the previous year. A survey published in the

Marketing Week (2006, p.31-32) shows that ethical brands such as Fairtrade have seen a

600% increase in sales since 2000.

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1.1.3. MARKET SHARE

To understand how the ethical and green food market is structured, a first look at the UK

grocery market is needed. The grocery market is worth £120bn and is divided between

alternative channels (negligible share), traditional retailing (7%), convenience retailing (20%)

and supermarkets and superstores (73%) (DEFRA, 2006, Economic note in UK grocery

retailing). In terms of sales, food and drink account for 65% of the total sales (DEFRA, 2006,

Economic note in UK grocery retailing).

As supermarkets and superstores are largely dominated by multiple supermarket chains, they

are in a position to influence and shape new trends in the food market. Also, this paper

focuses on the role played by the largest retailers in the ethical and green food market. The

big four (the four biggest retailers in the UK) are Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury’s and Morrisons.

Below is a representation of the largest retailers ranked by percentage of market share:

Table 1. UK Grocery Market Share – 12 weeks ending 26 march, 2006

Source: TNS Worldpanel, March 2006.

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1.2. THE ACTORS OF THE GREEN AND ETHICAL MARKET

As the leading supermarkets and superstores account for a predominant part of all retail sales

in the UK, they must show their active participation to the establishment of a sustainable

society. The actual context of environmental deprivation has made it the first matter of

corporate social responsibility (The Guardian, 2007, p.29; p19). Green practices and ethics

must be at the top of food retailers’ agenda in order to remain profitable as stakeholders are

pressurising supermarkets and their social responsibility scheme. Food retailers who will fail

to answer stakeholders increasing expectations will be unlikely to prosper (DEFRA, 2006,

Economic note in UK grocery retailing). Because food retailers are in a highly influential

position that empowers them to frame the response, they are closely scrutinized by the whole

stakeholders’ spectrum. With the situation given, it is crucial for supermarkets to recognise

that their overall profitability and brand image is shaped by green and ethical issues.

1.2.1. THE GREEN SHOPPER

The figures mentioned above translate to an impressive rise in the green and ethical market

and demonstrates the great opportunities that it may provide. This is due to a change in

customers mindsets as a result of rising awareness of environmental issues. Some other

ethical and trend factors are driving a change in attitudes as well, though as we shall see,

barriers remain.

Customers are more knowledgeable of the intensifying environmental problems and more

willing to tackle them (Peattie, 2001). Global warming is now under the limelight, influencing

customers to respond positively towards reducing its impact (Marketing Week, 2006, p.31-

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32). Customers feel that green consumerism is one way to convert attitudes into behaviours.

They are jumping on the opportunity to avert environmental catastrophes (The Guardian,

2007, p.31), by making purchasing decisions conscientiously (Newell et al, 1998).

Similarly, they expect retailers to show the same commitment to tackling environmental

damages. Customers are aware of the pressure they can put on retailers and suppliers via their

shopping habit. In addition to becoming green, customers buy certain products, thereby

pressurising food retailers and suppliers. They buy green products6 to send a message all the

way through the production chain to persuade retailers and suppliers to act in an

environmentally friendly and fair manner.

Shopping today is the new politics, the ballot box has been replaced by the shopping trolley

(The Economist, 2006, p.12). Shopping now appears to be as fun as it is political for shoppers

who want to express political and environmental opinion each time they purchase a product

(The Economist, 2006, n.p.). The motivations vary depending on the type of purchased

product and the interest of each shopper in a particular issue. Some shoppers buy Fairtrade

products in order to participate in the reduction of the gap between North and South, some

others buy organic food because they are concerned with global warming and still another

category buys local products to raise their voice against globalisation. This tendency has been

observed in the green and ethical market, which represented £1,295 million in 2006.

Some other market professionals and environmentalists claim that customers want to be seen

as green because it is trendy. The best example of this trend is the launching of - ‘I am not a

plastic bag’ - by Sainsbury’s. People living in London were queuing in front of stores for

many hours during the night to make sure that they will get their hands on this new bag. The

buzz created around this item was initiated by many famous people seen carrying the bag in

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many popular newspapers and magazines. ‘Now you can be green and gorgeous, eco-

conscious and highly fashionable, simply by buying the latest climate-friendly consumer

products’ (Lynas, 2007).

Even though shoppers are demonstrating an involvement in green and ethical issues, barriers

remain due to cost and time constraints. Many people who are not involved in recycling for

instance are blaming a lack of time. Becoming environmentally conscious is perceived as

dedicating time to achieve the knowledge to transform current habits into sustainable ones.

The need to maintain current lifestyles is somehow very much higher than the perceived

satisfaction of participating to build a sustainable and/or fair society. Not all shoppers are

prepared to make this sacrifice even though they care for the environment and/or the poor.

Shoppers express their concern for the environment but do not necessarily behave consistently

green argue Pedersen et al. (2006). A customer does not act in favour of the preservation of

the environment as long as the perceived cost appears higher than the perceived benefit

(Peattie, 2001). The customer wants it both ways: the benefit of a cleaner environment (from

which they cannot be excluded) without paying any cost in terms of price (Prakash, 2002 and

Sririam and Forman, 1993), extra time, effort (Dehab et al., 1995) and/or quality (Sririam and

Forman, 1993).

A casual shopper will pay more attention to price and quality rather than the environmental

records of the product or company. Peattie (2001) supports this idea, mentioning that the most

successful products on the market are still the ones that offer good technical performance

while saving money. Many customers also assume that green products are of lower quality as

well as more expensive compared to casual products (D'Souza et al. 2006). According to

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Meyer (2001), customers purchase green products only if it is perceived as superior to

competitor’s offerings. Thus, the environmental friendly8 aspect of a product remains

marginal in the purchase making decision.

Even when eight out of ten people say they take into account the company’s environmental

reputation in their purchase decision making, less than 2 out of ten actually practice

environmental shopping (The Guardian, 2007, p.19). Similarly, only a small part of the

population boycott products because of a company’s negative environmental record (The

Guardian, 2007, p.19). These figures demonstrate a lack of engagement in responsible

purchase behaviour.

1.2.2. RETAILERS

There is an obligation for businesses to demonstrate a commitment and concern for

environmental issues. Shoppers expect retailers to adopt their views and concerns for

environmental and ethical issues. In response, retailers are jumping on the opportunity to

develop green products and green communication campaigns that empower customers to

clean the air, purify the water, or help save endangered forests and species (Ottman, 2004).

This is crucial in terms of profitability, competitiveness and brand image. All food retailers

must go green says the market and the customer.

A tremendous opportunity exists for businesses to develop green products and environmental

messages to establish themselves as environmental leaders (Ottman, 2003). Stakeholders are

questioning companies on their environmental performance and impact. From the customer

who prefers dealing with brands that are environmentally and socially responsible, to the

community who wants to understand what local industrial plants expose residents to, through

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to employees who are demanding environmental actions within the company, businesses are

becoming highly pressured. However, they are no longer approaching the environment as a

threat but as an opportunity not to be missed. Companies start understanding they can benefit

from the fact that their brand stands for hope, and thus enhance brand image.

Food retailers can also see profitability in the development of new systems and processes. The

shift to green marketing has created a growing interest in alternatives to existing and polluting

systems and processes. By becoming more sustainable, food retailers will benefit from a

reduction of costs. Implementing green technologies is often more efficient and cheaper. The

impressive price of petrol and its inevitable disappearance are forcing businesses to rethink

their energy consumption and look at alternatives such as renewable energy. For instance

Tesco has launched a £500m programme to become more energy efficient and reduce

greenhouse11 gas emissions. Its initiative focuses on the development of renewable energy

(wind turbines, biomass), the combination of heat and power and gasification to turn food

waste into power (Tesco PLC, 2007).

Food retailers that adopt cleaner processes can also benefit earlier than others from upcoming

regulations. Laws and regulations on the green and ethical market are likely to happen

because customer groups and lobbies are putting pressure on the UK government and local

authorities. At the time this paper is written a new regulation is about to hit London: thirty

three councils agreed on a ban on plastic bags in all shops in the capital (The Independent,

2007, p.2). Other coming regulations might concern carbon dioxide11 constraints, recycling,

environmental communication and/or green products. Food retailers have an interest in

anticipating environmental policies in order to participate in the design of new regulations

and/or influence governmental policy makers (Prakash, 2002; Sahlin-Andersson, 2006). They

also might benefit from first-mover advantages (Prakash, 2002). Food retailer’s lobbyists

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must watch the market and anticipate government regulations in an attempt to preserve their

interests.

The way the world is set to change will also place a limit on market opportunities;

environmental actions and initiatives can therefore provide solutions. In some places around

the world for instance, access to water is difficult, a situation which is likely to worsen with

the anticipated rise in global temperatures due to climate change. Similarly, inefficiency in

production has repercussion on the price of the raw materials. As a result, the development of

water initiatives through CSR schemes can be profitable to food manufacturers. This has been

witnessed with Coca Cola and Divine Chocolate who both launched water initiatives to

facilitate access.

In the context given above, businesses will better perform in the marketplace and be seen as

more responsible. This is assured by a positive corporate image and reputation. However,

barriers still remain.

One of the main barriers to such changes is the investment that a changing of strategy

requires. Not all companies necessarily have the cash to invest. Moving from one strategy to

another is very costly. It involves every aspect from the management style to the

organisational structure to the production processes of a company. As the result of change,

management can face resistance from employees, losses due to investment in new product

development, and/or suffer from technical barriers and lack of knowledge. It might

consequently be considered highly hazardous to focus on green and/or ethical strategies.

Another reason is that some marketers do not consider environmental issues worthy because

they see them as fashionable. Marketers are aware that fashion goes on and off and is by

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definition transitory. Paul Hawken, an environmental author supports this claim and mentions

that fashion by definition is a matter of time (The Guardian, 2007, n.p.). Climate change in

this context can be perceived as a fad that the next trend will soon replace.

1.3. THE BARRIERS TO GREEN COMMUNICATION

Communicating green and ethical issues is as challenging and crucial as establishing a related

strategy. Leading corporations are closely scrutinised by the media, who can be very cynical

towards their environmental actions. As a result, some companies with an effective and

sincere involvement in green and ethical activities might decide not to engage themselves in

any promotion. However, absence of published information on green and ethical implications

of a company and stakeholders invites scepticism. It appears that balancing communication

around green and ethical issues is highly complex and needs to consider the barriers to green

communication.

1.3.1. CUSTOMER’S SCEPTISCISM AND CONFUSION

There are three levels at which customers are sceptical of the environmental claims of

businesses: environmental strategy, environmental product claims and environmental

communication. As the number of environmental claims increases, the level of customer

scepticism seems to rise accordingly (Prakash, 2002). Many companies have put out

ambiguous, misleading or false environmental product claims while they have in reality had

little to do with the preservation of the environment (Newell et al., 1998).

On one hand, the scepticism around environmental claims from companies has been growing

among the customers. Customers are aware that by adopting an environmental strategy,

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companies obtain more legitimacy and appear more attractive. Some market research has

shown that customers distrust companys environmental claims (Prakash, 2002), making it

harder for communicators to promote green strategy. Recent market research also added that a

company is negatively perceived when greater importance is dedicated to the profitability of a

green product rather than pollution reduction for example (D’Souza et al., 2006).

On the other hand, customers are also highly sceptical of the positive environmental effect of

manufacturer’s products (Prakash, 2002; Rios et al., 2006). Any products that companies

argue are environmentally safe and useful are not readily accepted among customers. This

may be due to the fact that customers are suspicious. In order to win trust, food retailers need

to provide adequate and verifiable information that is often analysed and published by

governmental bodies and/or NGOs14. To avoid a backlash, companies need to be as

transparent as possible and have verifiable environmental claims. In a survey published in the

Guardian (2007, p.19) and conducted by Ipsos Mori on corporate responsibility, 82% of

respondents requested more transparency and information on company policy in regards to

customers, employees, communities and the environment.

Barriers remain to green consumerism mainly due to a lack of environmental knowledge.

Only one out of three people can name a company with active social environmental practices

without someone prompting the respondent (The Guardian, 2007, p.19). Furthermore,

customers can feel very confused in regards to the green products claims because they do not

fully understand the implications in terms of environmental respect (Newell et al., 1998;

Morh et al, 1998; Rios et al., 2006). This leads to a limited use of the environmental message

of a product. This stems from a misunderstanding or exaggeration of the message due to a

lack of environmental knowledge (Rios et al., 2006). Concerning labels, customers attest that

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they are not easily understandable (Pedersen & Neergaard, 2006; D’Souza, 2006). Aspects

such as product labels, packaging, and product ingredients did not appear to influence

customers' perception but confuse them and encourage defiance (D'Souza et al. 2006).

Customers might also be confused regarding the information provided because of a lack of

clarity or the density of information (Prakash, 2002; Rios et al., 2006; D'Souza et al. 2006).

Furthermore, customers are unclear of what the green market is and what being green

involves (Melillo & Miller, 2006). Terms such as environmentally friendly, biodegradable,

organic, do not have a clear meaning to customers (Melillo and Miller, 2006). For example,

twenty four surveys on environmental issues show that the customer is familiar with the term

- recyclable – although ignore its proper meaning and implication in the content of the product

(Mohr et al., 1998). Marketers are therefore challenged with developing effective

environmental communication.

1.3.2. GREENWASH

Companies with bad environmental records are under criticism and stakeholder’s pressure. In

an article issued in the Independent (2007, n.p.), Apple is pointed out for its catastrophic

recycling policy and its use of harmful chemicals in its computers. Green Peace in its ‘guide

for a responsible high-tech’, ranked the company first for environmental irresponsibility.

Green Peace’s initiative was followed by the launch of a fake apple website to raise awareness

around the negative impacts of the brand on the environment. Many companies have been

criticised for their environmental claims and lack of effective results. By pretending to be

greener without effective results, marketers could damage the brand image of their business.

Past market research findings have showed that false, unsubstantiated or exaggerated

environmental claims can backfire (Carlson et al., 1993).

16

Tesco, the premier English food retailer is one illustration of the backfire of an environmental

strategy. Sir Terry Leahy, chief executive of Tesco, announced last year that Tesco will

reduce its carbon footprint by 50 per cent from 2000 levels by 2010 and to set-up a 100m fund

to pay for renewable energy sources. However, Friends of the Earth has demonstrated that

even if Tesco achieves this target, any expansion will undermine the emissions cuts (The

Observer 2007, n.p.). Another aspect that Tesco has been criticised for is its lack of

transparency and objectivity in the calculation of its carbon footprint. Tesco has been accused

of underestimaing its contribution to climate change by excluding the emissions that shoppers

and suppliers make while driving to their store (The Observer 2007, n.p.). Even if such

criticisms have emerged many times, the way Tesco communicates its marketing strategy

remains successful thanks to a genuine CSR.

The term greenwash has coincided with the description of this form of disinformation that

portrays an environmental friendly image of companies. It describes advertising in which the

environmental claims are trivial, misleading, or deceptive (Carlson et al. 1993). Recent

research on misleading advertising found that 60% of environmentally based advertisements

featured unacceptable claims ranging from the ambiguous to the downright false (Carlson et

al., 1993).

Aitken (2006) argues that there is an opportunity in advertising to promote green products as

long as it is a genuine message and not greenwash. This also appears to be critical for

advertisers because the green consumer is an opinion leader who actively exchanges product

information (Shrum et al, 1995). Any negative experience with a product and the shopper will

develop negative attitudes and lower purchase intentions (Newell et al., 1998; D'Souza et al.

17

2006). Morh (1998) argues that communicating on any aspects of green products is wasteful

(quoted from Rios et al., 2006).

Promoting green products is consequently very difficult. Customer’s scepticism towards

environmental communication has made many tools ineffective or unmanageable.

Advertising, one of the major and most effective communication channels has had negative

results on the promotion of green and ethical products9. Many market researches investigating

customer’s attitude confirm that they are very sceptical of advertising campaigns based on

environmental issues (Shrum et al. 1995).

18

2. MARKET RESEARCH

2.1. METHODOLOGY

This chapter will aim to cover the different steps undertaken during market research. The

collection of secondary data will be discussed and the primary data fully described. The

primary data, the research design, the sampling method and the data collection will be

justified. Following this, further insights on the quantitative method will be provided as well

as methodological limitations.

2.1.1 RESEARCH DESIGN

To begin, an overview of secondary data collection is essential. As green marketing is a fairly

old topic and green products appeared a while ago on the market, background literature is

profuse. The secondary data mainly used in the literature section comes from journal articles,

news paper articles and business books. Particular attention has been given to recent insights

on environmental population awareness and climate change. Hence, this dissertation has

focused on rising issues, despite green consumerism being an old phenomenon.

The secondary research has helped draw a picture of the actual marketing strategy of food

retailers as well as understanding customer behaviour. Investigation of customer attitudes and

behaviour has been undertaken during the secondary data collection. This has been very

helpful in determining the type of primary research to be undertaken. Exploratory research

appears to be the most relevant for the purpose of this paper as it stresses the understanding of

a marketing phenomenon and offers related insights (Malhotra & Birks, 2006, p.62).

19

On the type of exploratory design, quantitative research has been chosen rather than

qualitative research. This is justified by the fact that many attitudes and behaviours have

already been brought up by the secondary data collection.

The situation given tends to justify the use of a questionnaire (cf. Appendix F) rather than any

qualitative research, such as a focus group. The questionnaire allows the interviewer to ask

the right questions to the most appropriate sample expecting the most relevant answers and

comprehensive results. A questionnaire will be more efficient in providing the precise data

that is required to meet the research questions and reach the objectives because of its specific

structure. As a questionnaire is a structured technique for data collection consisting of a series

of questions, written or verbal, that a respondent answers (Malhotra & Birks, 2006, p.733), it

will provide the respondents opinions in a way that the interviewer will be able to direct.

A focus group would have provided insights that are not necessarily the ones that need to be

investigated here. The unstructured nature of the focus group technique was not appropriate to

this market research. However, a qualitative research technique such as a focus group or

depth-interview could be undertaken in the near future in order to interpret the results and/or

complete the findings. Also, such a technique could provide further insights on behaviour and

attitudes that are unpredictable. Depth-interviews also can provide deeper information on

customer’s motivations, beliefs, attitudes and feelings towards green and ethical issues

(Malhotra & Birks, 2006, p.726).

2.1.2. SAMPLING

20

Quantitative research is justified here because the findings are expected to be representative of

the target population. The larger the sample is, the more likely the results will be

representative of a larger population (Rose et al, 2005; Saunders et al, 2000, p.155). The

target population chosen in the context of this study is any British person who regularly shops

at the major supermarket chains. The green consumers and the non-green consumers have

been equally considered as both sides are investigated as well as both genders and any racial

background.

Following this first step, defining the sample and the profile of the respondents is possible. A

focus on a particular sub-group of the British population was decided upon in order to obtain

more accurate and representative results. Because of time and financial restrictions, a

representative sample of the British population would not have been possible. Such a focus

allows a smaller sampling error and some better insights. Another constraint was conducting

the study upon Londoners only because of a lack of time and financial resources. Gender too

had to be taken into consideration. The fact that the British population between 24 and to 35

years old covers 50% of women and 50% of men, (Office for National Statistics, 2007,

Population estimates), this proportion has been considered in the data collection.

The types of sampling used for this study are convenience sampling and judgmental sampling.

They are justified by the chosen sample, the method of data collection, the time requirements

and the financial limitations. The main discerning element of the questionnaire is the fact that

respondents must be between 24 and 35 years old, making the sampling method judgmental as

well. Judgemental sampling is a form of convenience sampling based on the judgement of the

research in the selection of a relevant respondent to the study (Malhotra & Birks, 2006,

21

p.364). Both methods have also been chosen based on their small cost and time requirements

(Saunders et al, 2000, p.177).

Resources constraints have been the major limiting factor in conducting this research. 58

questionnaires were filled in with respondents from various demographic backgrounds in

terms of race, income and occupation. However, respondents were mainly White-British from

working class backgrounds with a minimum of secondary school education level. A number

of other elements could have been considered to determine the size of the sample such as the

nature of the research, the sample size used in similar studies and the incident rates. Although

the current limitations left no room for these to be considered. These major limitations will be

considered further in the proceeding chapters.

2.1.3. QUESTIONNAIRE DESIGN

The design of the questionnaire was mainly focused on customer attitude, customer behaviour

and customers perception of food retailers’ environmental communication. Filters were used

in order to test the difference between attitude: what customer says, and behaviour: what he

actually does. The environment is indeed a sensitive topic and people tend to pretend to be

more concerned than they really are because of social pressures.

The questionnaire was made up of 20 questions and structured in a logical manner to

encourage the respondents willingness to answer. They were kept as short as possible and four

questions were used per page to ensure respondents were likely to continue. The layout was

also considered carefully to make sure that it looked clear, professional and attractive. Such

22

considerations were undertaken to make the questionnaire easy to complete and encourage a

high response rate.

The question related to the age of the respondent was asked first as a mean to eliminate

respondents with criteria that did not match with the required sample. A couple of other

demographic questions regarding gender and level of education follow. Then the

questionnaire investigated the level of environmental concern of the respondent and their

shopping habits, narrowing down on her/his purchasing habits of environmental products.

Questions related to scepticism and trust was asked to find out how customers perceive food

retailers’ communication and what marketers should do to improve their brand image.

Completing the form did not take more than 10 minutes for time consumption and data

analysis purposes. Consequently, many questions were close-ended as it is quicker and easier

to answer and analyse. All questions and answers were also attributed a number for analysis

purposes and codes were given on how to answer the questions. The question order was very

important here to investigate the difference between attitude and behaviour.

The questionnaire being drawn up, a pilot-test was conducted. Several comments from

respondents enabled improvements. Some questions were ambiguous and unclear. A focus on

the main objective of this paper was needed to overcome an inappropriate length. As a result,

questions relative to demographics were deleted because they did not provide much insight.

The question order was re-arranged and some open questions became close-ended questions.

Coding also changed as many of the respondents tested did not apply preferential order as

requested for one of the close-ended questions. It also appeared that some respondents needed

23

information on environmental vocabulary such as food miles10 and/or environmentally

friendly products. Foot notes were added to the questionnaire with the definition of the terms.

When the pilot-test was thoroughly re-evaluated, the questionnaire was launched and

completed for 58 people: 29 women and 29 men.

2.1.4. DATA COLLECTION / PROCESS

Two techniques were used for the data collection and questionnaire completion was

conducted in several locations. 89 questionnaires were distributed and 58 went through the

analysis process.

Emails and delivery/collection techniques were used. Questionnaires delivered via email are

easy to administer and to return. It also is cost advantageous. Email also guarantees that the

respondent is representative of the target population. This technique also has the advantage of

being more secure in terms of control, access and response (Witmer et al., 1999 quoted from

Saunders et al., 2000, p.309). The other technique used is the delivery/collection of

questionnaires. Questionnaires were administered in cafes in Hackney for convenience

purposes. The permission for conducting market research in the premises was previously

sought from the café’s owner. The respondents were fairly enthusiastic as a result of the

relaxed atmosphere which increased their confidence. The location was justified by the

presence of three different supermarket chains in the neighbourhood: Somerfield, Tesco and

Marks & Spencer.

24

As an introduction to the questionnaire, the respondent was given a brief verbal explanation of

the purpose of the research. A clear explanation was added on the questionnaire itself. To

eliminate respondents that did not match with the sample, the researcher asked whether or not

their age was similar to hers. Then, the respondent was asked to fill in the questionnaire

anytime during the day. Collection was held later on during the day. This self–administration

technique was used because it allowed more time for the researcher to find other respondents.

However, the precision with which the questionnaire was filled in could not be ensured. The

respondent could also be someone different, the coding could be misunderstood, questions

skipped or the questionnaire answered flippantly, causing a higher rate of unreliable

questionnaires.

To process of analysing the questionnaires was conducted using SPSS software. Numerous

softwares have been designed to analyse quantitative data. Considering the practical

knowledge of the researcher regarding statistical analysis software, the quantitative data were

interpreted using SPSS. Several steps have been considered before the results of this study

were formed. The first step after designing the questionnaire was to create a matrix into SPSS

and to code data for analysis purposes. After preparing data by typing it into the table, the

analysis was conducted.

Data was coded considering the type of layout, the time consumption and the missing values.

Once the data was entered, a check for errors was conducted to identify any mistyping that

could interfere in the analysis and cause a misinterpretation of the results. None were found.

25

2.2. LIMITATIONS

The major limitation of this study is the methodology used for the sample, the research

design, questionnaire design and the data collection.

The sample can be seen as one key limitation for this paper in terms of representation and

size. Even though a sub-group of the British population was chosen to limit the irrelevance of

the findings, other demographics should have been considered. Demographics such as gender,

income, social status and profession should have been applied. This would have allowed the

results to be more representative of a broader scale of consumers. In addition, the small size

of the sample makes conclusions on consumer behaviour open to critique.

A large sample would have been tougher to get while including participants from different

backgrounds and demographics, though it might have increased the relevance of the findings

and the overall credibility of the research. However, this study aimed to provide insights and

axes of research rather than an exhaustive representation of consumer’s behaviour. For

example, all respondents are from London, while the wider British population has been

ignored. A representative sample of the British population must have considered the

proportion of people living in England (83,8%), in Wales (4,9%), in Scotland (8,4%) and

Northern Ireland (2,9%) (Office for National Statistics, 2007). Some people from London

might not have the same behaviour as someone from rural Scotland. However, this limitation

is justifiable by the type of sampling which is convenient. A focus on women could also have

narrow down the impreciseness of the findings as they are typical green consumer (Ottman,

1993) and are more likely to go shopping (Rios et al., 2006).

26

Conducting quantitative research alone can be seen as a limitation as well. The validity of the

results from the questionnaires would be better supported with the addition of a focus group

or depth-interview. The questionnaire should have been undertaken earlier on during the

process to allow some spare time to organise a focus group. In the end it did not take place

because of time constraints and participant availability. The questionnaire itself could have

been improved in that its length did not allow much choice in the data collection process

while a shorter questionnaire could have been run in the presence of the researcher. Again,

this would have increased the validity of the findings.

Also, rather than disseminating the questionnaire in a random location close to major

supermarkets, standing in front of these supermarkets may have been better. It can be

assumed that the shopper from Tesco is not the shopper from Asda or Sainsbury’s and is not

only motivated by convenience. However, the way the questionnaire was structured and the

way it was administrated did not make it possible to gain great insights dependent upon on the

type of supermarket (up and low market) or chain (Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Asda, Marks &

Spencer etc…).

27

3. FINDINGS

3.1. RESULTS

As demonstrated previously in the methodology chapter, the gender and age of respondents

were two important criteria to consider. The age group the study was focusing on and within

this age group an equal proportion of men and women.

Table 2. Gender and age of the respondents

what is your gender? total

male female

I am between 25 and 34 years old

count 29 29 58

% 50% 50% 100%

total count 29 29 58

% 50% 50% 100%

This paper decided on two objectives within two related research questions. The first

objective here is to identify the reasons behind consumers’ choice for green products and

within this objective the first research question is as follows:

3.1.1. WHAT ARE CUSTOMERS’ ATTITUDE AND CUSTOMER’S BEHAVIOUR

TOWARDS ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES AND GREEN PRODUCTS?

In order to answer this question, the level of environmental concern of the respondents needs

to be analysed.

28

Table 3. Concern for environmental issues and climate change

what is your gender?totalmale female

I am concerned with environmental issues and

climate change

any agreecount 26 29 55% 89,7% 100% 94,8%

any disagreecount 3 0 3% 10,3% 0% 5,2%

total count 29 29 58% 100% 100% 100%

Looking at the results in table 3, 94,8% of all respondents say they are concerned with

environmental issues and climate change whereas 5,2% are not. Gender is influential as there

is a differential concern between women and men. Three men say they are not concerned with

environmental issues but no women.

Table 4. Involvement in green products purchase by gender


Do you purchase green products?

yescount 21 26 47% 72,4% 89,7% 81,0%

nocount 8 3 11% 27,6% 10,3% 19,0%


% 100% 100% 100%

Following the previous comment regarding the difference between genders, a deeper analysis

of the level of engagement in green products purchasing dependent upon gender is required.

Figures in table 4 show that 89.7% of women buy green products compared to 72.4% of men.

It is also interesting to consider that 27.6% of male respondents do not buy green products at

all compared to 10.3% of women.

Table 5 also helps understand customer behaviour regarding the preservation of the

environment:

Table 5. Engagement in helping preserve the environment

29


I am proactive in helping preserve the environment

any agreecount 18 21 39% 62,1% 75,0% 68,4%

neithercount 5 4 9% 17,2% 14,3% 15,8%

any disagreecount 6 3 9% 20,7% 10,7% 15,8%

total count 29 28 57% 100% 100% 100%

Within all respondents, 68.4% say they are proactive in helping preserve the environment

whereas 15.8% say they are not. Gender again shows a difference of involvement in

environmental actions as 75% of women say they are proactive versus 62.1% of men. Linking

both tables, among the 55 respondents who care for the environment, 1 out of 3 also is

proactive. It can be argued that environmental issues matter and respondents want to act on

their concern.

Further analysis requires an investigation of whether or not an environmental concern

influences green products purchasing.

Table 6. Relation between the environmental concern and purchasing of green products

do you purchase green products? Total

Yes No

I am concerned with environmental issues and climate change

any agreecount 47 8 55% 85,5% 14,5% 100,0%

any disagreecount 0 3 3% 0% 100% 100%

total count 47 11 58% 81,0% 19,0% 100,0%

Table 7. Proportion of people who buy green products for environmental reasons

Do you purchase green products? total

30

yes no

I buy green products because I care for the

environment

any agreecount 27 0 27% 69,2% 0,0% 60,0%

neithercount 8 2 10% 20,5% 33,3% 22,2%


total count 39 6 45% 100% 100% 100%

Figures displayed in table 6 show that 85.5% of people who are concerned with

environmental issues buy green products. Table 7 confirms this tendency as almost 69.2% of

respondents purchase green products because they care for the environment. However, table 6

demonstrates that 14.5% of the respondents are concerned with the environment but are not

environmentally friendly shoppers.

Among the whole sample, 81% of the respondents are regular or occasional green products

shoppers as shown in table 6. This result confirms a tremendous market opportunity for

retailers to provide customers with products that are environmental friendly.

Table 8 below provides insight on retailers’ pricing strategy of environmentally friendly

products. It shows that 81% of respondents are prepared to pay more for green products. Men

are more likely than women to accept higher pricing.

Table 8. Willingness to pay more for environmental friendly products

what is your

gender?total male female

I am prepared to pay more for environmental friendly

any agreecount 24 23 47% 82,8 79,3 81,0

31

products

neithercount 5 5 10% 17,2 17,2 17,2

any disagreecount 0 1 1% 0,0 3,4 1,7

total count 29 29 58% 100 100 100

Investigating difference between attitude and behaviour requires an examination of the

reasons why respondents choose to buy green products.

Table 9. The reasons why respondents buy green food products

yes no total

I buy green food products because of

ethicscount 29 21 50% 58% 42% 100%

qualitycount 25 25 50% 50% 50% 100%

sustainabilitycount 24 26 50% 48% 52 100%

politicscount 7 43 50% 14% 86% 100%

conveniencecount 5 45 50% 10% 90% 100%

fashioncount 3 47 50% 6% 94% 100%

othercount 3 47 50% 6% 94% 100%

none of thesecount 1 49 50% 2% 98% 100%

It appears that ethics, quality and sustainability are the main reasons for buying green

products. Ethics is ranked first with 58% response rate, quality ranked second with 50%

response rate and sustainability is third with 48% response rate. It is interesting to note that

fashion is not considered as a relevant reason with only 6% of the respondents agreeing.

However, a paradox lies between the figures from this table and the ones from table 10 below

because ‘respect for the environment’ is ranked third. Only 3.7% of respondents consider the

environmental aspect of a food product. Quality and price remain the two most important

aspects of a food product with 82.1% of people considering quality first and 10.7% price.

32

Table 10. Most important aspects of food products

frequency percent

quality 46 82,1%

price 6 10,7%

respect for the environment 2 3,6%

country of origin 1 1,8%

other 1 1,8%

total 58 100,0%

Consequently, people might buy green products for quality reasons rather than ethical ones.

Table 11. What the respondents for whom ethics matters are looking at first when purchasing a food product

I buy green products because

of ethics

What do you think is the most

important aspect of a food product?

qualitycount 25% 86,2%

pricecount 1% 3,4%

country of origincount 1% 3,4%

respect for the environment

count 1% 3,4%

othercount 1% 3,4%

totalcount 29% 100%

Table 11 confirms the above statement. Only 1 out of the 29 respondents who buy green

products for ethical reasons say environmental impact is the most important aspect of a food

product.

3.1.2. WHAT ARE THE REASONS WHY FOOD RETAILERS SHOULD ADOPT A

GREEN MARKETING STRATEGY?

33

As illustrated previously in table 6, green consumerism offers market opportunities

particularly for food retailers. They are at the centre of this market as the most popular green

products purchased are food.

Table 12. The type of green products purchased by respondents

yes not mentioned total

foodcount 40 10 50% 80% 20% 100%

toiletries and cosmeticscount 23 27 50% 46% 54% 100%

drinks and beveragescount 20 30 50% 40% 60% 100%

clothingcount 9 41 50% 18% 82% 100%

pharma and healthcount 4 46 50% 8% 92% 100%

travelcount 4 46 50% 8% 92% 100%

electronicscount 3 47 50% 6% 94% 100%

auto/motocount 2 48 50% 4% 96% 100%

othercount 2 48 50% 4% 96% 100%

none of thesecount 0 50 50% 0% 100% 100%

Table 12 demonstrates that green food products are regularly purchased by 80% of the

respondents and 40% of the respondents buy drinks and beverages that are environmentally

friendly. Toiletries and cosmetics are also very popular with 46% of response rate. Women

are more likely to purchase toiletries and cosmetics.

Table 13. Women are more likely than men to purchase cosmetics that have environmental benefits

what is your

gender?total male female

I buy toiletries and cosmetics with

environmental benefits

yescount 9 14 23% 39% 61% 100%

not mentioned count 14 13 27

34

% 52% 48% 100%

total count 23 27 50% 46% 54% 100

Sixty one percent of women buy toiletries and cosmetics which could explain the success of

companies such as the Body Shop. 39% of men buy environmental toiletries and cosmetics

which is still an attractive market. Environmentally friendly men toiletries might be a

profitable market.

In addition to market opportunities, food retailers need to develop green strategies to build up

their brand image.

Table 14. Bodies responsible for causing environmental damages

frequency percent

industries / companies 29 53,7%

individuals 15 27,8%

government 8 14,8%

international bodies and agreements 2 3,7%

total 54

100%

no answer 4

total 58

Table 14 attests that industries and companies are very much seen as responsible for

environmental damages. They are slightly at risk as 1 respondent out of 2 blames companies

for environmental damages, far ahead of individuals and government.

Such a threat needs further investigation to assess whether or not individuals take action

against companies who are not environmentally responsible or ethical.

Table 15. Willingness to stop buying from companies who might damage the environment

35

what is your gender?

totalmale female

I recently stopped buying from companies who might damage the

environment

any agreecount 8 9 17% 34,8% 36,0% 35,4%

neithercount 6 8 14% 26,1% 32,0% 29,2%


total count 23 25 48% 100% 100% 100%

Table 16. Willingness to stop stopped buying from companies who might act unethically


totalmale female

I recently stopped buying from companies

who might act unethically

any agreecount 11 14 25% 44,0% 53,8% 49,0%

neithercount 5 5 10% 20,0% 19,2% 19,6%


total count 25 26 51% 100% 100% 100%

Both tables above prove that respondents’ willingness to punish companies who do not act

responsibly is high. Among all respondents, 35.4% recently stopped buying from companies

who might damage the environment and 49% recently stopped buying from companies who

might act unethically.

Furthermore, food retailers’ must develop environmental actions and green products to meet

customer’s demands for action. Food retailers should feel particularly concerned as they are

well positioned to provide solutions.

Table 17. Bodies responsible for tackling environmental damage

frequency percent

individuals 16 30,2%

government 15 28,3%

Industries / Companies 14 26,4%

36

international bodies and agreements 5 9,4%

NGO's 3 5,7%

total 53

100%

no answer 5

total 58

Asking who people think are the most responsible for tackling climate change, 30.2% of the

respondents replied that it was individuals, whereas the government gets 28.3% and

companies 26.4%. Food retailers need to design solutions for customers to preserve the

environment. Table 9 shows that among all the respondents who buy green products, 58%

declare that they make such a choice for ethical reasons and 48% for sustainability purposes.

Customers are also demanding laws and regulations from the UK government to regulate the

market.

Table 18. Necessity of laws and regulations on green products


totalmale female

laws and regulations are necessary on green products

any agreecount 24 27 51% 82,8% 96,4% 89,5%

neithercount 5 0 5% 17,2% 0,0% 8,8%


total count 29 28 57% 100% 100% 100%

Among all respondents, 89.5% say laws and regulations are necessary on the green products

market. This can be considered as an upcoming threat for food retailers which they need to

anticipate.

With the first objective met, the two research questions related to the second objective is

considered. The second objective is to identify the barriers and incentives to food retailer’s

communication of green products to consumers.

37

3.1.3. HOW CUSTOMERS CURRENTLY PERCEIVE FOOD RETAILERS

STRATEGY, ETHICS AND COMMUNICATION IN THE ACTUAL

ENVIRONMENTAL AND ETHICAL CONTEXT?

Customer’s perception of food retailer’s environmental claims can help in planning genuine

communication. For the purpose of this question, we first look at customer’s scepticism.

Table 19. Scepticism towards environmental claims of companies


totalmale female

I am very sceptical of environmental claims of

companies

any agreecount 23 27 50% 79,3% 93,1% 86,2%

neithercount 6 2 8% 20,7% 6,9% 13,8%


total count 29 29 58% 100% 100% 100%

Table 19 indicates that 86.2% of respondents are sceptical of companies’ environmental

claims. Women are particularly sceptical as 93.1% agree with the statement compared to a

lower percentage of men. Scepticism is evidently high as none of the respondents disagree.

Table 20. Willingness to punish companies that exaggerate their green claims


totalmale female

I punish companies that exaggerate their

green claims

any agreecount 15 17 32% 51,7% 60,7% 56,1%

neithercount 13 10 23% 4,8% 35,7% 40,4%


total count 29 28 57% 100% 100% 100%

38

Table 20 reveals that 1 out of 2 respondents penalize companies that exaggerate their green

claims. This is terrible result for marketers who would like to position themselves as

environmentally responsible. This result confirms that environmental communication might

backfire.

Table 21. Reasons why companies promote their green credentials

male female total

yesnot

mentionedyes

not mentioned

yesnot

mentioned

to build up their reputation count 21 6 22 7 43 13% 77,8% 22,2% 75,9% 24,1% 76,8% 23,2%

to gain in profitabilitycount 20 7 17 12 37 19% 74,1% 25,9% 58,6% 41,4% 66,1% 33,9%

to remain competitivecount 11 16 17 12 28 28% 40,7% 59,3% 58,6% 41,4% 50,0% 50,0%

to protect from attackscount 6 21 7 22 13 43% 22,2% 77,8% 24,1% 75,9% 23,2% 76,8%

companies are actually greencount 4 23 7 22 11 45% 14,8% 85,2% 24,1% 75,9% 19,6% 80,4%

to give back to environmentcount 1 26 3 26 4 52% 3,7% 96,3% 10,3% 89,7% 7,1% 92,9%

othercount 1 26 0 29 1 55% 3,7% 96,3% 0,0% 100,0% 1,8% 98,2%

none of thesecount 0 27 0 29 0 56% 0,0% 100,0% 0,0% 100,0% 0,0% 100,0%

Table 21 is a representative illustration of customer’s scepticism. Only 19.6% of the

respondents think companies promote their green credentials because they are effectively

green. Among all respondents, 7.1% think this is because they give back to the environment.

However, 76.8% of the respondents see companies’ environmental strategy as a means to

build up their reputation, 66.1% see it as a means to gain in profitability and 50% a means to

remain competitive. This result highlights the fact that promoting environmental actions can

harm a company’s brand image.

The next focus is on how respondents perceive their food retailers’ ethics.

39

Table 22. Ethic rates of the most common service providers

engaged

neither engaged or not engaged

not engaged Total

supermarketcount 21 17 10 48% 43,8% 35,4% 20,8% 100%

internet providercount 11 17 19 47% 23,4% 36,2% 40,4% 100%

electricity providercount 8 20 18 46% 17,4% 43,5% 39,1% 100%

mobile phone providercount 5 19 23 47% 10,6% 40,4% 48,9% 100%

bankcount 9 17 22 48% 18,8% 35,4% 45,8% 100%

Among the five most common service providers, supermarkets appear to be the best rated in

terms of ethics. 43.8% of the respondents rate supermarket as being engaged ahead of the

internet, electric companies, mobile phone providers and banks, though a considerable

proportion of respondents do not have an opinion.

To reduce the level of customer’s scepticism and improve their business ethics, answering the

second research question is essential.

3.1.4. HOW CAN FOOD RETAILERS INCREASE THE CONSUMER’S TRUST IN

THEIR ENVIRONMENTAL IMAGE AND GREEN PRODUCTS?

As a starting point to understand what the barriers to green food consumerism are, we look at

the reasons why people do not buy green products.

Table 23. Barriers to green products consumption

I buy green products

yes no total

I can't afford themcount 34 5 39% 73,9% 50,0% 69,6%

lack of information count 16 6 22

40

% 34,8% 60,0% 39,3%

lack of choicecount 14 4 18% 30,4% 40,0% 32,1%

they are difficult to findcount 11 4 15% 23,9% 40,0% 26,8%

lack of trust in qualitycount 12 2 14% 26,1% 20,0% 25,0%

lack of good advice and refereecount 11 1 12% 23,9% 10,0% 21,4%

environmental implications are often difficult to understand

count 7 4 11% 15,2% 40,0% 19,6%

I can't be botheredcount 3 6 9% 6,5% 60,0% 16,1%

I don't think it's worthwilecount 3 3 6% 6,5% 30,0% 10,7%

none of thesecount 3 0 3% 6,5% 0,0% 5,4%


Table 23 signals that 69.6% of respondents consider green products too expensive. A lack of

information obtains 39.3% response rate and is the primary reason among respondents who do

not buy green products at all. Among the whole sample, 60% of the respondents mentioned

that they cannot be bothered. A lack of choice was mentioned by 32.1% of the respondents,

the difficulty in finding green products obtained 26,8% of response rate and doubtful quality

25%. The last three results also need to be further attention.

The results from table 23 provide insights on food retailer’s communication to overcome the

barriers to green consumerism. In addition, we assess customer’s expectation of food

retailers’ communication.

Table 24. How respondents would like to receive information on food products


totalmale female

televisioncount 16 14 30

% 59,3% 50,0% 54,5%

internetcount 10 10 20

% 37,0% 35,7% 36,4%

news papercount 8 9 17

% 29,6% 32,1% 30,9%

magazines count 6 11 17

41

% 22,2% 39,3% 30,9%

radiocount 5 5 10

% 18,5% 17,9% 18,2%

othercount 8 2 10

% 29,6% 7,1% 18,2%

face to facecount 4 2 6

% 14,8% 7,1% 10,9%

none of thesecount 0 5 5

% 0,0% 17,9% 9,1%

postcount 2 1 3

% 7,4% 3,6% 5,5%

telephonecount 0 0 0

% 0,0% 0,0% 0,0%

Taken from table 24, more than 1 out of 2 respondents would like to receive information on

food products from television followed by 36.4% response rate for the internet. Newspapers

and magazines tend to be very popular with almost 1 out of 3 respondents saying they wish to

receive information through these channels. Face to face is also well perceived and 18.2% of

respondents consider other means of obtaining information. Difference between genders must

be considered in the communication efficiency of channels such as television, magazines and

‘other’.

However, advertising and internet might not be such effective channels based on the analysis

of the two tables below.

Table 25. Lack of knowledge for finding independent information on products


totalmale female

I don't know where to find independent

information on products

any agreecount 9 13 22% 36,0% 48,1% 42%

neithercount 5 8 13% 20,0% 29,6% 25%

any disagreecount 11 6 17% 44,0% 22,2% 33%

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total count 25 27 52% 100% 100% 100%

Table 26. Scepticism towards advertising claims


totalmale female

I don't believe in advertising claims

any agreecount 16 17 33% 61,5% 63,0% 62,3%

neithercount 7 9 16% 26,9% 33,3% 30,2%


total count 26 27 53% 100% 100% 100%

Tables 25 and 26 show the limitations to advertising and internet communication campaigns.

Television might not be effective due to a lack of trust in advertising claims as 62.3% of

respondents mentioned this as a source of disbelief. Internet is also a doubtful channel as 42%

of the respondents do not know where to find independent information on products. It shows a

lack of internet use in gathering information on green products.

Regarding the fact that 18.2% of respondents want to receive information through other

channels, it is relevant to evaluate packaging and environmental labels.

Table 27. Level of interest in information displayed on product packaging


totalmale female

I always read the information display

on products packaging

any agreecount 12 18 30% 50,0% 66,7% 58,8%

neithercount 3 5 8% 12,5% 18,5% 15,7%


total count 24 27 51% 100% 100% 100%

Table 28. Level of effectiveness of information on packaging in making purchase decision


totalmale female

43

information on packaging help

myself in making purchase decision

any agreecount 14 21 35% 58,3% 77,8% 68,6%

neithercount 2 2 4% 8,3% 7,4% 7,8%


total count 24 27 51% 100% 100% 100%

Figures assert that almost 6 out of 10 shoppers always look at the information displayed on

packaging and almost 7 out of 10 consider information displayed when purchasing goods. It is

therefore arguable that packaging is an appropriate communication tool.

Now, we consider the type of information that customers would like to know about green

food products

Table 29. Type of information needed about green food products and involvement in green products purchasing

do you purchase green products?

totalyes no

its impact on the environmentcount 27 5 32

% 62,8% 50,0% 60,4%

its chemical contentcount 6 1 7

% 14,0% 10,0% 13,2%

food milescount 4 1 5

% 9,3% 10,0% 9,4%

none of thesecount 1 3 4

% 2,3% 30,0% 7,5%

its technical performancescount 2 0 2

% 4,7% 0,0% 3,8%

othercount 2 0 2

% 4,7% 0,0% 3,8%

its country of origincount 1 0 1

% 2,3% 0,0% 1,9%

total count 43 10 53% 100% 100% 100%

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Among all respondents, 60.4% rely on information relating to the impact on the environment

of a green food product, far ahead of chemical content with 13.2% response rate. An

important figure is the fact that the food miles system is ranked only third which could signify

that it is not a fully effective system of environmental information. Among the respondents

who do not buy green products, almost a third do not demand any of the information listed

above.

Table 30. Referees for recommendations on food products

what is your gender?total

male female

partner/friends/family/colleaguescount 17 14 31% 68,0% 58,3% 63,3%

newspaper or magazinecount 3 5 8% 12,0% 20,8% 16,3%

NGO's/independent bodiescount 3 2 5% 12,0% 8,3% 10,2%

internet websitecount 0 2 2% 0,0% 8,3% 4,1%

governmental organisationscount 0 0 0% 0,0% 0,0% 0,0%

othercount 2 1 3% 8,0% 4,2% 6,1%

totalcount 25 24 49% 100% 100% 100%

The table 30 highlights that 63.3% of respondents rely on relatives for recommendations on

food products, rather than any other organisation. Analysis also shows a consequent

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difference among genders. Males rely more on relatives more than women, whereas women

pay more attention to newspapers and magazines than men.

Table 31. The most important aspect of a successful environmental campaign


male female

TV advertising campaigncount 7 3 10% 25,9% 12,5% 19,6%

Credited by relatives/friends/co-workerscount 3 7 10% 11,1% 29,2% 19,6%

Information providedcount 6 4 10% 22,2% 16,7% 19,6%

Credited in the mediascount 2 7 9% 7,4% 29,2% 17,6%

Messagecount 3 2 5% 11,1% 8,3% 9,8%

None of thesecount 4 0 4% 14,8 0 7,8

Othercount 1 1 2% 3,7% 4,2% 3,9%

Engagement of brandcount 1 0 1% 3,7% 0,0% 2,0%

Totalcount 27 24 51% 100 100 100

Table 31 shows that TV advertising remains one of the most important aspects of a successful

environmental campaign for 19.6% of respondents. However, 19.6% of respondents also feel

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that an environmental campaign credited by relatives or with good informational content are

successful. Credited by the media is also well ranked with 17.6% of the total of respondents

answers.

The last table displayed below tests respondents’ trust of the principal bodies.

Table 32. Level of trust of the most common bodies


male female

NGO’s / NPO’scount 20 15 35% 74,1% 53,6% 63,6%

none of thesecount 5 3 8% 18,5% 10,7% 14,5%

governmentcount 1 4 5% 3,7% 14,3% 9,1%

local authoritiescount 1 2 3% 3,7% 7,1% 5,5%

industries / companiescount 0 2 2% 0,0% 7,1% 3,6%

othercount 0 2 2% 0,0% 7,1% 3,6%

totalcount 27 28 55% 100% 100% 100%

NGOs are the most trusted organisations whereas industries and companies are the most

mistrusted ones. This is disappointing for companies and demonstrates customer scepticism.

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However, if companies succeed in gaining trust, they might reach a very high level of trust

that aligns with the one from NGOs. Then, they will gain support among a large population.

3.2. DISCUSSION

Findings have provided many highlights on the ethical and green market. Insights from the

survey will help meet the objectives this dissertation addresses.

3.2.1. THE REASONS BEHIND CONSUMER’S CHOICES IN GREEN FOOD

CONSUMPTION

Consumers are very receptive to issues that concern the environment (table 3) and want to get

involved in order to make the world a better place (table 5/14). They are moving forward to

tackle climate change and environmental degradation. They are aware of environmental issues

and say they are prepared to act positively (79.2% of the respondents report being prepared to

change their behaviour for environmental purposes). In response to this interest, they buy

ethical food (table 6/7/9), recycle their cans and bottles (84.9% of the respondents say they are

prepared to recycle more) and cycle as much as they can (57.1% of the respondents say they

avoid using their car). By adopting this type of attitude customers feel they are doing their bit

for the environment (table 6/7).

Customers want to be committed to the cause, providing that companies help them. Therefore,

they expect food retailers to reflect their involvement in tackling environmental damages by

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designing new products and services. The situation given above demonstrates that food

retailers can expect favourable responses to any green consumerism orientated initiative. A

report on ethical and green retailing from Mintel (2007) supports the finding, claiming that

customers choose a food retailer according to its involvement in managing low environmental

impact. They also want food retailers to offer them ethical products to transpose their views

into actions. This tendency has been well reflected in the rise of market size of Fairtrade and

organic food products which proves that profitability is not incompatible with ethical and

green issues.

Results show a significant difference of attitude influencing decision making purchase

depending on the gender. On one hand, women are more receptive to environmental issues

(table 3/5/6/7) and more sceptical of food retailer’s communication (table 19). On the other

hand, men are less concerned with the environment and are more likely to pay a higher price

for environmental products than women.

These tendencies are justifiable because women are responsible for their children’s lifestyle.

They might project themselves more into the future, thinking of the wellbeing of their

children. This is particularly verifiable as the research focuses on women aged from 24 to 35

years old who often are about to have children or likely to have young ones. It is also

justifiable because women are more responsible for shopping and therefore more experienced

with food claims and green products. They also have the appropriate income to absorb price

premiums (Mintel, 2007, Ethical and green retailing).

Nevertheless, the reality is far more ambiguous. Customers act very differently to what they

say. The paradox between ‘I want to do something’ and ‘I am actually not doing anything’ is

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very well perceivable. Customers argue that they are buying green products for ethical

reasons but findings suggest otherwise. Only 5.4% of the respondents consider business ethics

as the most important reason to choose a supermarket which implies a lack of environmental

engagement, whereas 68.4% of respondents consider themselves as proactive in preserving

the environment.

The truth is that they like clearing their conscience, thinking that they are doing well buying

food products for ethical reasons. They like reassuring themselves thinking that they are

acting towards a better environment. The clear benefit from customers is the facility they have

to require a change in the food industry rather than accepting their own responsibility (Mintel,

2007, ethical catering). It is particularly popular behaviour as it involves little cost and little

investment. This feel good attitude allows them to get away from their obligation to adopt a

more sustainable lifestyle.

Another finding shows that customers buy green food products for quality purposes rather

than ethical concerns. This result signifies that consumers are more interested in what they

can benefit from green products compare to what they can give in return. Green products are

the assurance of quality food with positive healthy and tasty characteristics. A Mintel report

on Ethical catering (2007) supports this claim saying that healthy eaters purchase more green

products which implies an involvement of the consumer for personal matters rather than

environmental matters.

As table 8 illustrates, 81% of respondents are prepared to pay more for environmentally

friendly products, although table 23 shows that people consider green products too expensive.

The question remains whether or not respondents are ready to pay more for green products as

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the respondents’ sincerity is open to discussion. Two conclusions are sizeable. First,

customers are effectively ready to pay more for green food products as long as they are

quality products and improve the environmental condition. Secondly, customers buy products

for which they feel price is right without any environmental consideration. This distinction

could be a justification for food retailers to segment green consumers upon environmental and

quality aspects in one hand, price in the other.

Looking at pricing strategy, it is essential to look at the barriers to green consumerism

3.2.2. THE BARRIERS AND INCENTIVES TO FOOD RETAILERS

COMMUNICATING GREEN FOOD TO CONSUMERS

Non green consumers remain (table 4) and not all green consumers purchase green products

on a regular basis. The market opportunity for food retailers is to convince a wider spectrum

of shoppers to buy green products or more green products, in order for marketers to aid people

in overcoming green consumerism barriers.

Table 23 shows the principal barriers to green consumerism. For the majority of the

respondents the price is the principal barrier. Communicating on the savings that being

greener implicates is the right move for food retailers. Offering green products that aligns

with the price of products from the general market and the demand will increase strongly. It

seems that narrowing the price down is the best strategy for a higher acceptance of green

products among the most reluctant consumers.

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Lack of information is the second main barrier to green consumerism (table 25/29). This

implies that consumers are not aware of the benefits of green products. Shoppers might not

even understand the vocabulary related to green consumerism. Here, food retailers are

requested to provide clear information to help customers in making a desirable and assumed

choice. An Ipsos study on corporate responsibility argues that customers are in need of more

information on the implications of a product to build a better society and respect the

environment (The Guardian, 2007, p.19). The idea of educating the consumer is very

important here to instigate an informed and rational decision from the shopper. More accurate

information and awareness will lead to a higher involvement in green products purchasing.

Another brake to green consumerism is the lack of choice and the difficulty in finding green

products. In terms of communication those two limitations are related. Consumers are sending

the signal that green products need to gain more visibility. In fact, 76% of respondents in a

recent survey mentioned that it is difficult to distinguish green products among standardised

ones (The Guardian, 2007, p.19). Still according to the same survey, 84% of respondents

argue that they won’t buy green products unless retailers make the purchasing process of

green products easy (The Guardian, 2007, p.19). In terms of communication, marketers can

bring green products to the limelight by in-store and point of purchase communication.

Another implication for food retailers is the underestimation of the demand for those specific

products. In terms of product developments, food retailers need to offer a larger choice of

green products if they want to witness market size growth.

A particular occurrence in this table needs to be underlined. Among people who do not buy

green products, 60% are honest enough to say that they can’t be bothered and the same

percentage accuses a lack of information. This is very interesting for food retailers as it

confirms customer’s feeling that any involvement in green products purchasing requires

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environmental knowledge. Obviously some customers are not prepared to take the initiative to

look for information. Food retailers can fulfil this lack of information by taking the lead on

educating and informing the consumer.

However, table 29 shows that among the same segment, almost a third of the respondents are

not demanding any information. It implicitly means that any strategy to target this segment is

wasteful as they just refuse to change their behaviour. They might perceive that it involves too

much effort or cost. As a result, the two strategies developed above might be ineffective.

Another aspect tested through the research relates to food retailer’s image. One of the barriers

that customers are experiencing does not relate to green products themselves but food

retailer’s strategy. Customers are aware that nowadays taking a position for the defence of the

environment is a must for companies. As a result, customers are very sceptical of food

retailers’ involvement in environmental actions. According to the respondents, it essentially

illustrates a desire to build up their reputation, gain in profitability and remain competitive

(table 21). Only a low percentage see companies as truly green (table 21).

The findings send a strong warning to marketers (table 15/16) that would take advantage of

environmental and ethical issues. Strategists must fully integrate ethics into the making of

their business but be very much careful in terms of communication. Advertisers must not use

ethical and environmental initiatives as an obvious appeal to establish a competitive

advantage. Attempts to do so will backfire (table 20). The awkwardness lies in the balance

between customer’s desire to see their food retailers giving back to the environment and

customer’s ability to punish companies that do not do enough or for the wrong reasons.

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Hence, framing a message and planning a communication is double edged. On the one hand,

food retailers must communicate their green credential to reassure the customer that buying

from them is ethically correct and can make a difference. On the other, such initiatives must

not appear to be legitimised by an obvious direct or immediate financial gain. Given the

subtlety of the situation, the best communication for food retailers is to grow customer’s trust

which will bring favourable word of mouth. According to Shrum et al (1995), the green

customer is an opinion leader and a careful shopper who has an interest and seeks information

on new or regular products. The green consumer talks with others about products and

provides word of mouth information that other customers respect (Shrum et al., 1995).

If supermarkets can convince respondents that they effectively behave ethically, the

percentage of people who trust the supermarket could increase significantly (table 22).

Among all respondents, 36.5% admit that behaving ethically is the single most important

thing that food retailers could do to increase their level of trust. Rios et al (2006) have shown

that customers who believed in the brand's environmental performance had a positive attitude

towards the brand with a correlation between level of belief and level of attitude. Results

show such objectives can be reached by communicating explicit, clear and transparent

information about company and products to convince customers they are moving forward.

Improving trust implies publishing performance via transparent and unambiguous data and

setting clear targets.

Findings support this statement as 19.6% of the respondents consider the information

provided as an element of a successful campaign (table 31). Such a strategy can establish a

more trusted relation with customers and decrease the high level of scepticism. Mintel (2007,

ethical and green retailing) approves this claim and goes further saying that if retailers have

verifiable and viable ethical sourcing policies then they should publicize them or they will

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leave themselves open to criticism for not doing enough or hiding something. In a world

overloaded with information, people are especially keen on giving trust to independent bodies

(NGOs). To gain even more trust as long as they are certain of their claims and sources, food

retailers can get independent bodies to confirm their claims as they are far most trusted

organisations (table 22).

Now that findings have provided highlights on the type of message, the results are focused on

the appropriate tools and channels. The four most popular ways among the respondents to

receive information on food products are by order, television, internet, newspapers and

magazines. Considering that respondents are very sceptical of advertising claims (table 26)

and television is the less trusted channel (Shrum et al, 1995), advertising on television is not

recommended. It could also backfire as customers would easily identify it as greenwash

communication.

Even if respondents are very much sceptical of advertising claims (table 26), they still rely on

the media (table 29/30/31) to seek information, particularly newspapers, magazines and the

internet. The fact that newspapers and magazines are successful channels is good news for

advertisers as they can portray more information to customers in need of meaningful and clear

facts. Results from Shrum et al. (1995) also claim that green consumers, both women and

men, are not adverse to print advertising. Concerning the internet, food retailers can use this

channel to overcome customer’s lack of information and referees towards green products

(table 23/25/29). Shoppers make decisions on information they gather from the media,

including the internet (Mintel, 2007, ethical and green retailing). Findings claim that media

coverage is a favourable factor as 17.6% of the respondents say that an environmental

campaign credited in the media is a proof of success, particularly among women (table 31).

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This result tends to encourage marketers and advertisers to differentiate between genders for

segmentation and communication purposes. Results show that men and women seek

information and purchase green products differently. They also recognise a successful

campaign based on different variables. Men rely more on relatives (table 30) which implies

that word of mouth is a successful communication channel although almost impossible to

control. In table 24, 14.8% of men agree that they would like to receive information on food

products face to face, which confirms the previous finding. As well as relatives (table 25),

women are also very much influenced by the media and particularly magazines (table 30/31).

Table 31 shows that 29.2% of women consider a successful environmental campaign when it

is credited in the media. It can be argued that media coverage has a major impact on what

customers think, and upon women in particular (Mintel, 2007, ethical and green retailing).

Another communication tool that marketers need to consider carefully is packaging. Tables 27

and 28 show that packaging is often read and influences purchasing decisions. The context

given that customers are in demand of information relating to the impact of a green food

product on the environment (table 29), means that displaying information on packaging is

probably the right move. In table 24, 18.2% of the respondents consider other means to

receive information on food products; it is assumed that packaging is one of those. Packaging

can play the role of providing the information needed to the customer to make informed

purchase decisions and build up trust. In-store and point of purchase communications can also

be another means to relay information. Those communication tools can provide satisfying

results as they will attract green consumers who already have absorbed the gain of being

greener from external media and alerting others consumers (Mintel, 2007, ethical and green

retailing).

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4. FUTURE

4.1. IMPLICATIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

The findings of this research contribute to a higher knowledge of the current ethical and green

food market. This study provides clear and in-depth insights of customer behaviour and food

retailers’ communication. It also offers valuable information to practitioners, suppliers and

manufacturers, and policy makers.

4.1.2. IMPLICATIONS FOR RETAILERS

It is easy to argue that being green and ethical is a must, although it requires determined

investment and change. It might also be more difficult for some retailers than others to

become green for reasons such as knowledge, leadership, structure and/or cash investment. As

an example, it might be easier for some food retailers to develop green strategies compared to

some others. Some retailers have a greater experience of sustainability because they already

have invested on this aspect of their strategy for a long time. It is for some of them one main

source of competitive advantage whereas others are mainly focused on price competition.

Some food retailers might be good at recycling packaging whereas others are good at taking

supplies off the road and find greener transport alternatives. Asda for example in a survey

published in the Guardian (2007, p.12) has been recognised as the greenest food retailer for its

level of recycled packaging. In the same period, Tesco has decided to ship its wine in order to

cut its carbon emissions (The Guardian, 2007, p.20). This means for strategists to focus and

promote the aspect of their green strategy they are the most effective at, rather than the

strategy as a whole.

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4.1.3. IMPLICATIONS FOR SUPPLIERS/MANUFACTURERS

Another implication of this survey concerns suppliers. There are opportunities and threats for

food retailers to audit the ethic of their supply chain, as both retailers and customers are

becoming powerful and aware of environmental degradation (DEFRA, 2006, Economic note

in UK grocery retailing). A study by Ipsos published in the Guardian (2007, p.19) shows that

87% of the respondents consider retailers responsible for their supply chain and must control

their behaviour. Multiple retailers are now strong enough to influence suppliers thanks to their

dominant market share and buying power. As a result, suppliers can play a fundamental role

in greening food retailer’s processes. Food retailer can take advantage of the greenness of its

suppliers as it is part of its activities and an impact on the environment. For instance, the food

miles system considers the level of carbon dioxide emitted in the transport of a product from

the supplier to the retailer.

There are opportunities for retailers and suppliers to improve their distribution and logistic

efficiency by looking at modes of transport, distance travelled, local sources and/or energy

efficiency… Food retailer’s corporate image can benefit from suppliers who implement a

green marketing strategy within their business. Tesco has recently reduced the miles a good

travels and the fuel it consumes by using lorries returning from stores to collect goods from

suppliers and recycling waste (DEFRA, 2006, Economic note in UK grocery retailing). The

same approach can be developed by the manufacturer. An initiative launched by Uniliver

aims to improve the supply chain and reduce the environmental impact of the business. In

cooperation with the Carbon Disclosure Project, Uniliver is tracking the greenhouse gas

emission of its suppliers to seek overall reduction of carbon dioxide. This is an attempt to

simultaneously make cost savings and environmental improvements.

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This study also has implications for manufacturers who can take the initiative to raise

customer’s awareness on the product impact on the environment. For example, in May 2007

Walkers initiated a label to measure the level of carbon footprint of a packet of crisps. The

Carbon Trust, on their behalf, has calculated that a standard packet of Walkers Cheese &

Onion Crisps produces 75g of carbon footprint (The Guardian, 2007, n.p.). This initiative is

aimed to offer shoppers the right to choose a product depending on its impact on the

environment. Nestle has raised the interest on fat/salt/sugar of its main brand KitKat by

placing this information on the packaging. Similarly, manufacturers can appeal to customers

attention to their carbon footprints by placing the food miles label on their packaging or any

other environmental information. This kind of initiative may be welcomed by the consumer as

long as he/she is able to understand the environmental information displayed on the

packaging.

4.1.3 IMPLICATIONS FOR GOVERNMENTAL BODIES

Findings show that citizens distrust the UK government and do not think it can tackle

environmental degradation. Such distrust does not come as a surprise when anyone can

witness the desire of the UK government to fight climate change and expand Heathrow airport

at the same time. Paul Dickinson, chief executive of the Carbon Disclosure Project, argues

that citizens are demanding action, though the political process is failing (The Guardian,

2007, p.31). Citizens are blaming governments for underperforming and slowly answering

customer’s demand in laws and regulations on the green and ethical market.

In response, customers are pressuring the government and organisations lobbying it to settle

an agenda for laws and regulations on green and environmentally friendly products. The

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government might react soon as the pressure increases. Regulation might affect green

products content and environmental advertising as they both need to be monitored. This has

already been seen with the obesity epidemic and the law regarding the advertising ban on TV

dedicated to children. The market seems to be driving the change more than any governmental

intervention. While the political pressure is rising, the lack of involvement and intervention

witnessed in the green and ethical market portrays a negative image of the UK government in

the fight against global warming.

For this reason, retailers need to watch the market carefully to anticipate change and avoid the

threat of a late or slow reaction. Marketers might also need to take the lead to educate the

consumer through their own communication (labels, advertising, the internet) as it has been

seen with the fat/salt/sugar system. Food retailers have two advantages in adopting new

standards. First, they secure themselves and protect from attacks while both political and

consumer pressures are gaining momentum. Secondly, customers scepticism will decrease

with positive repercussions on the volume of sales.

Another implication for governmental purposes concerns the discourse around environmental

issues and their understanding. A survey on the discourse about climate change in the medias

shows that it is ‘confusing, contradictory and chaotic’ (Ereaut et al, 2006) and the excuses

getting great coverage (Hillman, 2004, p.55). Moreover, environmental issues are surrounded

by a specific vocabulary that it is not easily accessible. The actual environmental challenge

makes awareness and understanding of the situation the basis of any governmental

communication campaign. However, barriers remain because of how environmental matters

are exposed to the citizens. In order to stimulate environmentally friendly behaviour among

the UK population, the government must take a step forward in the organisation, the shape

and the regulation of the discourse.

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4.2. FURTHER RESEARCH

Although this study is valuable to the body of knowledge, it brings into light issues that need

to be investigated in further research.

4.2.1. OTHER SEGMENTS/MARKETS

Further research on green products should be undertaken on other age groups within the UK

population. As the limitation chapter has demonstrated, demographics are important and lead

to different types of behaviour. Level of involvement in green consumerism is very much

likely to vary depending on the age, the income, the level of education… For instance, a

student might not have the necessary income to purchase premium food products whereas

he/she will show deeper concerned for environmental and social issues than the typical

worker.

In addition, some other sectors such as toiletries and cosmetics, clothing retailing and even car

manufacturing need to be investigated. While Ford’s profitability has been very much harmed

by negative environmental records, Toyota made record earning last year of almost £13

billion thanks to a major environmental focus and its hybrid range (The Guardian, 2007,

p.29). This will provide more understanding of customer’s behaviour and determine whether

or not he/she is influenced by the same aspects (ethics, price, quality) in regards to other green

products. Through this research, insights can be gained on whether or not green products are

entering the mainstream on the basis that they are fashionable accessories. Unfortunately, this

study could not obtain a response to whether or not the success of green products is due to

fashion trends. Further research is indeed essential to help businesses setting up their agenda,

61

determining a strategy and planning communication. Furthermore, an investigation on the

launch of a wider range of green food products or new green products that are absent from the

market at present can be very constructive.

4.2.2. ENVIRONMENTAL LABELS

One additional research considers the efficiency and understanding of environmental labels

(Pedersen et al., 2006). Results demonstrate that environmental labels are unclear and

misunderstood. The food miles system for example seems to receive qualified support as it

has been poorly ranked as an informative system. Customers have implicitly during this

research required that actions were taken to set up an accurate and efficient label/system.

Customers need to be educated and guided in their purchase decision. The lack of knowledge

and information makes the environmental system/label a great solution to overcome this

barrier. Customers will also be pleased to assess the environmental attributes of a product by

themselves because they demand the ability to make informal decisions about the products

they buy (Mintel, 2007, Ethical and green retailing).

4.2.3. SHAPE OF THE DISCOURSE

Another study of deep importance must be considered. This future research concerns how the

media shapes the discourse around environmental issues and its consequences in the mind of

62

the receiver. Saying that the media is very powerful and influence public opinion is to act

uncritically (Ladle et al., 2005). This study confirms that people are very much influenced by

what they read from magazines and newspapers and what they see on television. The type of

discourse used to describe global warming particularly is shaping the understanding and the

attention that people are willing to concede. In a research on the type of discourse, Ladle et al.

(2005) argue that the translation of scientific information into the popular discourse has the

perverse effect of increasing anti-environmentalist and sceptical

movements because of the exaggerated use of sound-bite sensationalism.

This dangerous aspect of environmental communication might end up in a global population

awareness of global warming with a sceptical attitude that could be dangerously costly for the

earth’s well being (Hillman, 2004, p.25).

In addition to this perverse effect, the tendency of the most popular newspapers and

magazines to promote holiday tickets from London to Bangkok or to relate of the latest study

disclaiming global warming again increases the denial. The World Development Movement

on behalf of George Monbiot (2007), conducted across 10 days in July a survey among the

five quality dailies newspaper on the space given to adverts for cars, air travel, holidays

requiring air travel and oil companies. The Financial Times carried out the least adverts with

0.8% of the total space, followed by The Guardian (2.5%), The Independent (3.1%), The

Times (4.4%) and the Telegraph (7.3%) (Monbiot, 2007). Furthermore, among some of the

most popular newspaper and magazines, a tendency to relate the latest news disclaiming

global warming is very popular. Also, it might be very interesting to conduct an investigation

on how the media discourse and content reflects the general environmental awareness and

concern among the population. The repercussions on the citizen’s mind and actions around

environmental issues and global warming might be considerable. The latest aspect considers

the level of concern of the reader to environmental issues depending on the type of press. It

63

seems interesting to categorise the influence of the media depending on the type of media and

the readership/audience. For example, readers of the Guardian which publishes news about

global warming every day might be more aware of environmental issues than someone

reading The Sun.

64

CONCLUSION

The findings establish the actual status of the ethical and green market. This paper offers

practitioners recommendations, guidelines and insights for properly managing their

environmentally orientated marketing strategy. It is important to stress that the ethical and

green market is expanding although it is still underestimated. There should no longer be

remaining professionals with doubt on the profitability of this market.

This paper has tried to demonstrate that adopting a green and ethical marketing strategy is the

way to go for decision makers unless they want to see their profitability harmed. Secondary

data has provided information that shows the profitability of such markets in terms of cost

reduction, new product development, regulations and brand image.

All industries should be aware that the customer has a high demand for businesses to

participate in the wellbeing of the society. Corporate social responsibilities appear as a must

to answer this need while behaving ethically should be the basis of any current marketing

strategy. The actual context of environmental concern pressures practitioners to go along the

environmental route.

Food retailers are particularly concerned as they are well positioned to offer solutions to

customers. Customers who want to act ethically are pushing food retailers to offer them

products that are environmentally friendly. The respect of a product for the environment is an

appealing message that customers wish to hear. Food retailers should inject heavier

investment in developing products and communication. Ethical and green issues are at a stage

where they are entering the mainstream sphere.

65

Some key points to environmental communication have been learnt through this paper. Food

retailers need to consider them to be successful. They have to consider decreasing the level of

customer scepticism and increasing the level of trust. This study also stresses the need to

segment the market within which different messages apply better than others depending

principally on gender. The marketing mix of green products will need to consider these last

recommendations.

66

APPENDICES: TABLE OF CONTENTS

Appendice A

Appendice B

Appendice C

Appendice D

Appendice E

Appendice F

Quotations………………………………………………………………...

Notes………………………………………………………………………

References………………………………………………………………...

Bibliography………………………………………………………………

External links……………………………………………………………...

Questionnaire……………………………………………………………...

p.1

p.2

p.4

p.7

p.8

p.10

67

APPENDICE A: QUOTATIONS

‘Now you can be green and gorgeous, eco-conscious and highly fashionable, simply by

buying the latest climate-friendly consumer products’ (Lynas, 2007).

Lynas, M. Can shopping save the planet?. (2007, September 17). The Guardian. n.p

1

APPENDICE B: NOTES

1. The green and ethical market takes its root in concepts such as business ethics and green marketing. Customers expect businesses to act ethically which means in the actual environmental growing concern for environmental and social issues. The green market is made of customers, businesses, products and services with environmental and social respect.

2. As climate change, global warming refers to a change in the earth’s atmosphere, but it exclusively means the rise in the earth’s temperature caused by the greenhouse effect and responsible for changes in global climate patterns. The rise in the temperature that we are witnessing at present can potentially result in a significant increase in storm frequency, drought and sea level rise that can be experienced at a regional or global scale. It can be the result of both factors: natural changes or human activities. Humans are responsible for climate change because of the burning of fossil fuels or other emissions of certain pollutants (particularly CO2) that are causing the sun's heat to be trapped rather than emitted to space, causing a global average increase in temperature. This term has recently exclusively been used to describe the result of human activity and specifically the burning of fossil fuels. It has also been used as a synonym to the term global warming.

3. The term Fairtrade refers to the system of independent product certification against internationally agreed fair trade standards (Mintel, 2007, Ethical Catering). The Fairtrade trademark is an independent consumer label which appears on products as an independent guarantee that disadvantaged producers in the developing world are getting a better deal (Fairtrade, 2007).

4. The term organic is defined strictly by the law, and requires production to meet high standards that put principles of health and environmental sustainability first. Organic farming encompasses a total approach to food production and involves the development of management practices that aim to avoid the use of agrochemical inputs and to minimise damage to the environment and wildlife. Organic standards are updated continually, and are enforced by a number of approved certification bodies. Certification bodies are responsible for inspecting land and production processes to ensure that production follows prescribed standards and principles (Mintel, 2007, Ethical Catering).

5. The sceptic has not reached a conclusion yet and is still looking for the truth (Monbiot, 2007). The sceptic often doubts the substance of communication or claims that he is exposed to.

6. A green product is a product that possesses both environmental and socially positive attributes. These products are respectful of the environment, places and people that provide and use them. The three most popular green products are fair trade labelling products, organic products and local products. A green product is mainly identified as a food product, although many other types of environmentally friendly non-food products exist under other appellations (energy efficient appliances, micro-wind

2

turbines, energy efficient light bulbs). In this dissertation, green product and ethical products are used as interchangeable.

7. The term climate change refers to a change that affects the global atmosphere by either an increase or decrease of the earth’s temperature.

8. An environmentally friendly product is a product that has low negative impact on the natural world. Biodegradable products, green products and ethical products for example are environmental friendly products.

9. An ethical product is along the same line as a green product. In this dissertation, green products and ethical products are interchangeably.

10. Food miles is a term which refers to the distance food travels from the time of its production until it reaches the consumer or end-user. It is one dimension used in assessing the environmental impact of a food product (Wikipedia, 2007).

11. The greenhouse effect is a natural phenomenon that is globally recognised whereby certain gases in the atmosphere. It maintains the earth's temperature at a level that allows life on earth. This phenomenon can lead to global warming and other changes to the climate. It is due to human activity by the emissions of gases that trap the heat of the sun in the Earth's atmosphere.

12. Carbon dioxide (CO2) is a product of burning fossil fuels and the main greenhouse gas that contributes to global warming. Other greenhouse gases also include methane (from agricultural sources) and nitrous oxide (from industrial sources).

13. Denial can be defined by the fact that people cannot accept the implications of what they know. This behaviour involves the fundamental paradox of knowing about something and recognising its existence but refusing to know it and to accept its moral implications (Marshall, 2001).

14. A non-governmental organization (NGO) is any non-profit, voluntary citizens' group which is organized on a local, national or international level. Task-oriented and driven by people with a common interest, NGOs perform a variety of services and humanitarian functions, bring citizen’s concerns to Governments, advocate and monitor policies and encourage political participation through provision of information. Some are organized around specific issues, such as human rights, environment or health. They provide analysis and expertise, serve as early warning mechanisms and help monitor and implement international agreements. Their relationship with offices and agencies of the United Nations system differs depending on their goals, their venue and the mandate of a particular institution. (NGO, 2007)

3

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Life_cycle_assessment

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consumer

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Food

APPENDICE C: REFERENCES

JOURNAL ARTICLES

Brown, J.D. & Wahlers, R.G., 1998. The environmentally concerned consumer: An exploratory study. Journal of Marketing Theory and Practice. . Vol. 6, Iss. 2, p. 39-47 (9 pp.)

Carlson, L., Stephen J. G., & Kangun, N., 1993. A Content Analysis of Environmental Advertising Claims: A Matrix Method Approach. Journal of Advertising. p.27-39.

Dehab, D.J., Gentry, J.W., Su, W., 1995. New ways to reach non-recyclers: an extension of the model of reasoned action to recyling behaviour. Advances in ConsumerResearch. 22, p.151–156.

D'Souza, C., Lamb, P., and Peretiatkos, R., 2006. Green products and corporate strategy: an empirical investigation. Bradford:2006. Vol. 1, Iss. 2, p. 144-157

Fuller, A., 1999. Sustainable Marketing: Managerial-Ecological Issues. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage

Ladle, R.J., Jepson, P. and Whittaker, R.J., 2005. Scientists and the media: the struggle for legitimacy in climate change and conservation science. Interdisciplinary Science Reviews. Vol. 30, no. 3

Meyer, A., 2001. What's in it for the customers? successfully marketing green clothes. Business Strategy and the Environment. Vol. 10, Iss. 5, p. 317

Mohr, L.A., Eroglu, D., and Ellen, P.S.,1998. The development and testing of a measure of skepticism toward environmental claims in marketers' communications. The Journal of Consumer Affairs. Vol. 32, Iss. 1, p. 30-55 (26 pp.)

Newell, S.J., Goldsmith, R.E. and Banzhaf, E.J. (1998). The effect of misleading environmental claims on consumer perceptions of advertisements. Journal of Marketing Theory & Practice, Vol. 6 No. 2, pp. 48-60.

Peattie, K., 2001. Golden goose or wild goose? The hunt for the green consumer. Business Strategy and the Environment. 10, p.187-199.

Pedersen, E. R., & Neergaard, P. (2006). Caveat emptor – let the buyer beware! environmental labelling and the limitations of ‘green’ consumerism. Copenhagen Business School.

Prakash, A., 2002. Green marketing, public policy and managerial strategies. Business Strategy and the Environment. p.285–297.

4

Rios, J.M., Martinez, T.L., Moreno, F.F., Soriano, P.C., 2006. Improving attitudes toward brands with environmental associations: an experimental approach. The Journal of Consumer Marketing. Vol. 23, Iss. 1, p. 26-33 (8 pp.)

Sahlin-Andersson, K., 2006. Corporate social responsibility: a trend and a movement, but of what and for what? Corporate Governance. Vol. 6, Iss. 5, p. 595-608

Shrum et al, L.J., 1995. Buyer characteristics of the green consumer and their implications for advertising strategy. Journal of Advertising. Vol. 24, Iss. 2, p. 71 (12 pp.).

Sririam, V., Forman, A.M., 1993. The relative importance of products’ environmental attributes: a cross cultural comparison. International Marketing Review 10(3), p. 51–70.

PRESS SPECIALISED ARTICLES

Aitken, L., 2006. Green Works. Campaign. Jul 14, 2006. p. 26, 27 (2 pp.)

Anonymous. Climate change: green and pleasant brands. (2006, December 7). Marketing Week. pp.31-32.

Anonymous. Corporate social responsibility: green is the way to go for marketers. (2006, May 11). Marketing Week. pp.40.

Anonymous. Good food?. (2006, December 7). The Economist. p.12.

Melillo, W., and Miller, S., 2006. It’s not easy being green. Adweek. Vol. 47, Iss. 29, p. 10-11 (2 pp.).

Ottman, J.A., 2004. Empower to the people. InBusiness.

Ottman, J.A., 2003. Hey corporate America, it’s time to think about products. InBusiness.

PRESS ARTICLES

Apple condemned for consigning toxic computers to China. (2007, November 15). The Independent, n.p.

Carbon labels to help shoppers save planet. (2007, 31 May). The Guardian. n.p.

Care to comment. (2007, November 5). The Guardian, supplement ‘The Green List’. pp.19.

Green store says ‘bring your own bag’. (2007, 8 November). The Evening Standard. n. p.

London joins national campaign to banish the curse of the plastic bags. (2007, 14 November 2007). The Independent, pp.2.

5

Lynas, M. Can shopping save the planet?. (2007, September 17). The Guardian. n.p.M&S gets the lowest green rating in packaging survey. (2007, 23 October). The Guardian. pp.12.

Politics has failed. (2007, 5 November). The Guardian, supplement ‘The Green List’. pp.31

Ride the wave of go under. (2007, 5 November). The Guardian, supplement ‘The Green List’. pp.29

Tesco: named, shamed and an unstoppable success. (2007, August 26). The Observer. n.p.

Tesco faces attack over carbon footprint. (2007, September 9). The Observer. n.p. Voting with your trolley. (2006, September 12). The Economist. pp.73-75.

Wine on the water as Tesco turns to barges to cut emissions. (2007, October 19). The Guardian. pp.20

6

APPENDICE D: BIBLIOGRAPHY

Carson, D., Gilmore, A., Perry, C., and Gronhaug, K., 2001. Qualitative marketing research. 1st ed. Sage Publications Ltd.

Hillman, M., 2004. How we can save the planet ?. 1st ed. Penguin Books.

Malhotra, N.K. & Birks, D.F., 2006. Marketing research: an applied approach. 2nd European Edition. Prentice Hall Financial Times.

Monbiot, G., 2006. Heat, how to stop the planet burning ?

Ottman, J.A. 1993. Green Marketing: Challenges and Opportunities. NTC: Lincolnwood.

Peattie, K., 1992. Green marketing. 1st ed. Longman Group UK Ltd.

Saunders, M., Lewis, P. and Thornhill, A., 2000. Research methods for business students. 2nd ed. Pearson Education Prentice Hall Financial times.

7

APPENDICE E: EXTERNAL LINKS

The Cooperative Bank, Ethical consumerism report 2006. Available at: http://www.co-operativebank.co.uk/servlet/Satellite?c=Page&cid=1170748475331&pagename=CB%2FPage%2FtplStandard. [Accessed 22 November 2007].

DEFRA, food and drink economics branch, 2006. Economic note on UK Grocery retailing. [Online]. Available at: http://statistics.defra.gov.uk/esg/reports/Groceries%20paper%20May%202006.pdf [Accessed 14 November 2007].

Ereaut, G., and Segnit, N., 2006. Warm words, how are we telling the climate story and can we tell it better?. Institute for Public Policy Research. [Online]. Available at: http://www.ippr.org/publicationsandreports/publication.asp?id=485 [Accessed 13 June 2007].

Fairtrade, 2007. What is Fairtrade. [Online]. Available at: http://www.fairtrade.org.uk/about_what_is_fairtrade.htm [Accessed 18 November 2007].

Marshall, G., 2001. The psychology of denial: our failure to act against climate change. The Ecologist. [Online]. Available at: http://www.ecoglobe.ch/motivation/e/clim2922.htm [Accessed 12 June 2007].

Mintel. 2007. Ethical and green retailing. [Online]. Available from the British Library. [Assessed on the 2 November 2007].

Mintel. 2007. Ethical catering. [Online]. Available from the British Library. [Assessed on the 2 November 2007].

Monbiot, G., 2007. Selling ecocide. [Online]. Available at: http://www.monbiot.com/archives/2007/08/14/selling-ecocide.

NGO, 2007. Definition of NGO. [Online]. Available at htp://www.ngo.org/ngoinfo/define.html [Assessed 19 November 2007].

Office for National Statistics. 2007. Population estimates. [Online]. Published on 22 August 2007. Available at: http://www.statistics.gov.uk/cci/nugget.asp?id=6 [Accessed 25 September 2007].

Rose, C., Dade, P., Gallie, N. and Scott, J. 2005. Climate Change Communications – Dipping A Toe Into Public Motivation. [Online]. Cultural Dynamics Strategy and Marketing Report. Available at http://www.campaignstrategy.org/valuesvoters/climatechangecommunications.pdf [Assessed 13 July 2007].

Tesco PLC, 2007. Energy Efficiency. [Online]. Available at: http://www.tescocorporate.com/page.aspx?pointerid=1C15440123204039B5E0E86C7220B421. [Accessed 17 November 2007].

8

http://www.tescocorporate.com/page.aspx?pointerid=1C15440123204039B5E0E86C7220B421

http://www.tescocorporate.com/page.aspx?pointerid=1C15440123204039B5E0E86C7220B421

http://www.statistics.gov.uk/cci/nugget.asp?id=6

http://www.monbiot.com/archives/2007/08/14/selling-ecocide

http://www.ecoglobe.ch/motivation/e/clim2922.htm

http://www.fairtrade.org.uk/about_what_is_fairtrade.htm

http://www.ippr.org/publicationsandreports/publication.asp?id=485

http://statistics.defra.gov.uk/esg/reports/Groceries%20paper%20May%202006.pdf

http://statistics.defra.gov.uk/esg/reports/Groceries%20paper%20May%202006.pdf

http://www.co-operativebank.co.uk/servlet/Satellite?c=Page&cid=1170748475331&pagename=CB%2FPage%2FtplStandard



The Chartered Institute of Marketing (2007). The Chartered Institute of Marketing glossary. (online). Available at: http://www.cim.co.uk/KnowledgeHub/MarketingGlossary/GlossaryHome.aspx [Accessed 07 July].

Wikipedia, 2007. Food miles. [Online]. Available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Food_miles [Accessed 17 July 2007].

9

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Food_miles

http://www.cim.co.uk/KnowledgeHub/MarketingGlossary/GlossaryHome.aspx

APPENDICE F: QUESTIONNAIRE

The questionnaire is part of the dissertation of a Master student in Marketing Communications. It has been made to investigate how food retailers should communicate their green credentials to customers. This questionnaire is anonymous. Thanks in for your time and cooperation.

P1. What is your gender?

Male Female

P2. How old are you?

1. Under 18 years old 4. Between 35 and 44 years old

2. Between 18 and 24 years old 5. Between 45 and 54 years old

3. Between 25 and 34 years old 6. More than 55 years old

P3. What is the higher level of education you achieved? (Select one)

P31. Secondary school :gcse's/0 levels/cse's/nvq levels 1 & 2 or similar

P32. Secondary school: a levels/a-s levels/scottish highers/irish leaving certificate/nvq levels 3 or 4 or similar

P33. University/college

P34. Post graduate diploma/masters/doctorate

P35. Trade or technical qualification

P36. Professional qualification (e.g. Accountancy)

P37. Still studying

P99. None of these

Q1. Which of the following supermarkets do you currently shop food from? (select one)

1. Tesco 6. Morrisons

2. Asda 7. Somerfield

3. Sainsburys 8. Marks and Spencer

4. Iceland 98. Other

5. Waitrose 99. None of these

10

Q2. What is the most important reason why you choose this supermarket? (select one)

1. Provide a high customer service 5. Behave ethically and fairly

2 Convenient location and/or access 6. Actively preserve the environment

3. Provide products with quality guarantees

98. Other

4. Provide better value for money 99. None of these

Q3. Please indicate the extent to which you agree or disagree with each of the following statements. (Check one alternative per row)

Agreestrongl

y

Agree slightly

Neither agree nor

disagree

Disagree

slightly

Disagree

strongly

Don’t know

Does not

apply

Q31. I am concerned with environmental issues and climate change

Q32. I am proactive in helping preserve the environment

Q33. I think I have a good environmental knowledge

Q34. I am very sceptical of environmental claims of companies

Q35. I punish companies that exaggerate their green claims

Q36. I recently stopped buying from companies who might damage the environment

Q37. I recently stopped buying from companies who might act unethically

Q38. I am prepared to pay more for environmental friendly products2

Q39. Laws and regulations are necessary on green products

Q4. Do you purchase green products1 ?

1. Yes 2. No (go to Q.7) 3. Occasionally

11

Q5. What sort of green products1 do you purchase? (Check all that apply)

1. Food 6. Travel

2. Drinks and beverages 7. Electronics

3. Toiletries and cosmetics 8. Auto/Moto

4. Pharma and health 98. Other

5. Clothing 99. None of these

Q6. What are the reasons why you buy green products1 ? (Check all that apply)

1. Ethics 5. Sustainability

2. Convenience 6. Fashion

3. Politics 98. Other

4. Quality 99. None of these

Q7. Which of the following stop you from not buying or buying more green products1 ? (Check all that apply)

1. Lack of trust in quality

2. Lack of information

3. Lack of good advice and referee

4. Lack of choice

5. I can't afford them

6. Environmental implications are often difficult to understand

7. They are difficult to find

8. I don’t know who to seek advice from

9. Can’t be bothered

10. I don’t think its worthwhile

99. None of these

12

Q8. Thinking of the environment and climate change, who do you think is the most responsible for: (select one)

Individuals IndustriesCompanies

Government NGOsNPOs

International bodies and agreements

Q81. Causing damages

Q82. Tackling environmental damage

Q9. Why do you think companies promote their green credentials? (check all that apply and assign a preferential order)

1. They actually are green 5. To give back to environment

2. To gain in profitability 6. To build up their reputation

3. To protect from attacks 98. Other

4. To remain competitive 99. None of these

Q10. Of the following list, who do you most rely on for recommendations on food products? (select one)

1. Partner 6. Governmental bodies

2. Family 7. Independent bodies

3. Friends 8. Newspaper or magazine

4. Colleagues/ co-workers 9. Internet website

5. Non governmental organisations 98. Other

10. Have not sought advice

Q11. What do you think is the most important aspect of a food product? (select one)

1. Quality 5. Respect for the environment

2. Price 6. Brand

3. Technical performances 98. Other

4. Country of origin 99. None of these

13

Q12. How would you prefer to receive information on food products? (check all that apply and assign a preferential order)

1. Television 6. Post

2. Radio 7. Telephone

3. Internet 8. Face to face

4. News paper 98. Other

5. Magazines 99. None of these


Agreestrongl

y

Agree slightly

Neither agree nor

disagree

Disagree

slightly

Disagree

strongly

Don’t know

Does not

apply

Q131. I don’t really understand environmental labels

Q132. I always read the information display on products packaging

Q133. Information on packaging help myself in making purchase decision

Q134. I don’t know where to find independent information on companies’ ethic

Q135. I don’t know where to find independent information on products

Q136. I don’t believe in advertising claims

Q137. I am prepared to change my behaviour to preserve the environment

Q14. Which one of the following would you be the most likely to trust? (select one)

1. Industries / companies 4. Independent bodies (NGOs)

2. Government 98. Other

14

3. Local authorities 99. None of these

Q15. From this list, which is the single most important thing that food retailers could do to increase your level of trust? (select one)

1. Improve customer service

2. Offer products that are easier to understand

3. Offer products with quality guarantees

4. Offer products that provide better value for money

5. Do what they will say they do, keep their promises

6. Behave ethically

7. Make me feel that they care for me

8. Make me feel that they treat me fairly

98. Other

99. None of these

Q16. What type of information do you need to know about a green food product1 ? (select one)

1. Its impact on the environment 5. Its use of carbon dioxide

2. Its technical performances 6. Its country of origin

3. Its chemical content 98. Other

4. food miles 3 99. None of these

Q17. What kind of green products1 would you be the most likely to purchase? (select one)

1. Food 6. Travel

2. Drinks and beverages 7. Electronics

3. Toiletries and cosmetics 8. Auto/Moto

4. Pharma and health 98. Other

5. Clothing 99. None of these

15

Q18. Thinking about a company that successfully communicated their green credential, what was the most important? (select one)

1. TV advertising campaign 5. Information provided

2. Message 6. Engagement of brand

3. Credited by relatives/friends/co-workers

98. Other

4. Credited in the medias 99. None of these

Q19. On a scale from 1 being the lowest to 10 being the highest, how would in terms of ethics rate your: (circle where it applies)

Q191. Electricity provider 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Q192. Internet provider 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Q193. Mobile phone provider

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Q194. Supermarket 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Q195. Bank 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10


Agreestrongl

y

Agree slightly

Neither agree nor

disagree

Disagree

slightly

Disagree

strongly

Don’t know

Does not

apply

Q201. I feel myself being very trendy

Q202. I feel myself being politically engaged

Q203. I cycle every time I can not to use my car

Q204. I buy green food products1 because I care for the environment

Q205. I volunteer in charity to give back to the community

Q206. I donate money to charity regularly

Q207. I discuss environmental issues with the people surrounding me

Q208. I like expressing my personal opinions and discuss them with others

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Q209. I am prepared to recycle more

17

dissertation on consumer buying behaviour in uk supermarkets3 (1)

Documents

green products

green dollars

green marketing strategy

effective green communication

levers of green consumerism

ethical food market

food products

food retailers opportunity